Duel Masters: Vortex Wars
by Shuriken16
Summary: Sequel to Kaijudo Generation; Team KG is Back to Own the Zone, as they now gain the responsibility to Protect Earth and the Creature World from a new Evil. With new Allies and cards, KG puts their skills to the test; Their fate depends on it... R&R
1. Shattered Hearts

[Kaijudo Corner]

Shuriken16: Hey you guys, I'm Here to kick off The Sequel to Duel Masters: Kaijudo Generation. I hope you readers are just as excited as I am, so without any interruption, here ya go: Duel Masters: Vortex Wars…

* * *

><p><em>[Kaijin No Sekai: Present time]<em>

Four energy beings sit in a throne room with four of the five of them occupied. The four of them Watch Neo's Rampage from Three months before, and the earlier events.

The Green and Gold Colored Energy being spoke up first. "Well it's just as we feared, isn't it?"

The Blue and Gold one nodded. "Unfortunately the rumors of Neo's return were true after all."

The Blue and Black one nodded with her two companions. "So what do you suppose we do?"

The Green and Gold humanoid turned to the Red and Green one who sat quietly. He sighed and gave his Judgment. "We'll go to Earth, and fix this mess. After all, he's one of our own and it's our responsibility. We must carry his sins as our own, and as such, we must correct it."

The Red and Green humanoid stood up. "Let's get to it then." It replied in a young feminine voice. "The sooner the better right…?"

The other three turned to each other and nodded. They as well stood up and followed the Red and Green humanoid out of the room…

* * *

><p><em>[Earth, June 17<em>_th__, 2015]_

"Are you ready to Own the Zone America? Thank you for tuning into our rescheduled presentation of the NYC Duel Circuit Tournament. As you know, due to a mechanical malfunction in Madison Square Garden, the final match, between Team Kaijudo Generation, and Team Neo, was postponed until this morning. Despite their injuries, both Duelists from each team are still going through to serve in participating in the final match. So let's move on to the K-Terminal to see the final match unfold!"

Two teenage girls make their way to the mechanical play table.

"First up is Team KG's Jamie Martin!" Jamie was sixteen years old, having long black hair and a black jean jacket. She wore a red shirt that stopped halfway down her stomach, and she wore blue jeans, and black and red sneakers.

"And her opponent is Team Neo's Cindy McKnight!" Cindy was about seventeen years old, having blonde hair with red streaks. She wore a magenta-colored shirt and black jeans. Her leg was in a cast, due to the "Mechanical error" at the tournament, where she fell from the 10 foot platform. Nonetheless, she didn't want to let her team down so she forced herself on crutches and got herself to Central Park that morning.

"I hope you're ready for this…" Jamie told Cindy. She strapped a Red and White glove onto her Right hand and Cindy did the same.

"Don't worry; I can hold my own against you no problem." Cindy replied. "Good luck though."

Jamie nodded. "Same to you."

"And on that note, the Final Match of the NYC Duel Circuit Tournament: Begins!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Duel Masters: The Trading Card Game where young men and women take part in commanding armies of powerful creatures from the Fire, Nature, Light, Water and Darkness Civilizations. Attacking your opponent, aiming to shatter his five shields, allowing for a final direct attack! With hundreds of thousands of Duelist around the world, each are aiming to receive the title: Kaijudo Masters, the S-Rank class of the Dueling World. If you're ready to take on this challenge, then get your gear and Own the Zone!"<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Shattered Hearts<p>

"DUEL START!" The two of them said in unison.

Ten holographic objects suddenly projected inside the machine, revealing them to represent the five facedown cards that each duelist had on their sides. They then each drew five cards.

Jamie set a Blue card in her mana zone, and tapped it, generating a Blue sapphire crystal on her side.

"I summon Aqua Guard!" She said as she set the card into her Battle Zone.

Aqua Guard materialized into the Battle Zone, ready for whatever attack that Cindy could throw at it.

Cindy drew and set a Yellow mana card as a Topaz crystal generated on her side.

"I summon: La Ura Giga, Sky Guardian."

La Ura Giga flew into the Battle Zone basically in the same situation as Aqua Guard.

Jamie drew her next card and set a Red card next, generating a Ruby Crystal, and the Sapphire, showing that she tapped two of her mana.

"I Evolve Aqua Guard into: Crystal Spinslicer!"

Jamie set a creature on top of her Aqua Guard card, triggering the two crystals to fuse into a unique crystal, resembling spirals of white blades, like flower petals. It floated around Aqua Guard until it morphed it into a soldier-like centaur with a bladed shield.

"Crystal Spinslicer, Break her shield, Ike!" Jamie tapped her creature, as Spinslicer began to run towards Cindy's shield, the blades of the shield extending. Spinslicer threw his shield and the shield shattered into pieces. Cindy picked up the corresponding card and added it to her hand. She drew and set her second mana card.

"I summon a second La Ura Giga, and a Deadly Fighter Braid Claw." Cindy set the Light Creature, and the Fire creature to accompany the first La Ura Giga. As such, Cindy now had 2 blockers and a creature capable of breaking Jamie's shield.

Jamie drew and set her card in mana. "I cast Energy Stream, and due to its effect, I draw 2 cards from my deck." She then drew two cards from her deck and ended her turn there.

Cindy drew and set mana. "I summon Missile Soldier Ultimo. And I attack with Braid Claw, Ike!"

Braid Claw let out a war cry and dashed towards Jamie's shield. Suddenly though, it was cut off by Spinslicer.

"Spinslicer blocks the attack."

Spinslicer smacked Braid Claw away as it dispersed into a bright red data stream. Cindy sent Braid Claw to the grave and ended her turn.

Jamie drew and set mana. "I summon Jiruba, Precision Shooter."

Two ruby Crystals and a Sapphire Crystal materialized and fused together to form an armored warrior wielding a red and silver handgun, and a blade in the other.

"And with the last water mana, I'll use it to summon Aqua Guard."

The last Sapphire crystal materialized and reformed into Guard.

Jamie ended and this allowed Cindy to start her turn. "I summon a third La Ura Giga."

The third white airship flew in.

"And finally, I cast Phantom Dragon's Flame; I destroy Aqua Guard."

Ultimo focused as flames developed around his fist; He punched the air, shooting fireballs at Guard, which both formed into small fire-like dragons. Guard was consumed as Blue data streams floated out of the flames.

Jamie moved Guard to the grave and drew her card, setting her fifth mana. "I summon Kyrstron, Lair Delver."

The five crystals materialized into a thin Red Dragonoid, covered in bronze-covered armor on his arms and legs.

"Jiruba, Break her shield, Ike!" Jamie tapped her creature. Jiruba aimed his gun and took a shot at the shield.

"La Ura block." Cindy said, ordering the creature to take the hit.

The bullet from his gun hit the charging La Ura Giga, however it crashed into him, both Red and Yellow data going in different directions.

Cindy drew and set her mana, now having 5. "I summon Aegis, Sage of Fire and Lightning."

Aegis materialized into the battle zone, both elements spewing from the respected mouths of the Wyvern.

Jamie drew and set her mana, having six. "I summon Mezger, Commando Leader. Mezger has speed attacker; Ike!"

Fur crystals appeared moving at high speed. They aligned themselves until they were replaced by a wired humanoid wielding a giant hammer. He jumped into the air and brought his hammer down, but Aegis stopped it before it could do damage.

"Kyrstron, Ike!"

Kyrstron wielded his staff as he ran to break a shield. La Ura Giga moved in and shot him down.

"Bad move." Jamie told her. "When Kyrston's destroyed, I can add one dragon from my hand into the Battle Zone. With his effect, I summon: Shining Star Dragon!"

Kyrston's Red data stream flew back to Jamie and reformed into a figure nearly twice the size of Kyrstron. A Red dragon in gold armor materialized, a black cape connected to his red and grey colored wings. In his hands was a staff, like a wand where a giant gold star shined from.

"When I put Shining Star Dragon into the Battle Zone, I search my deck for an Evolution Creature that evolves from dragons. I choose: Uberdragon Bajula." Jamie explained as she retrieved her card.

"Not bad." Cindy commented. She drew and set her sixth mana card. "I Evolve La Ura Giga into Ladia Bale The inspirational. Ladia: Double Break!"

Ladia Bale charged it's cannons and shot passed Jamie's creatures, blowing out two shields.

"Shield Trigger: Tornado Flame, I destroy your La Ura Giga." Jamie said as one of the broken shard piles began to spew a tornado of flames towards the remaining La Ura Giga.

"Ultimo's Turbo Rush activates, due to Ladia's shield breaking. He gains +4000 and he can attack untapped creatures. Attack Crystal Spinslicer."

Ultimo's muscles expanded as he jumped high into the virtual sky. He came back down seconds later, preforming a drop kick on Spinslicer, turning it into blue data.

Jamie drew her next card and set her seventh mana. "Break through, King of Flames: Uberdragon Bajula!"

Shining Star Dragon felt the seven crystals descend onto him, the power infusing him to evolve into Uberdragon Bajula, a Crimson colored dragon with two extra heads on his shoulders. It wielded a chain that circled his whole body in a complex, never-ending cycle.

"Blaze, Destroy Bale, Ike!"

"Aegis blocks." Cindy counted, Aegis taking the hit from the dragon's triple flamethrower. Two mana crystals appeared where Aegis stood, and Bajula used its chain to break them to pieces.

Cindy drew her next card and set it, being reduced to five. "I end my turn."

Jamie smiled. "Great, that's what I wanted to hear." She drew and set her 8th mana. "I summon Aqua Surfer, and then I evolve it into Crystal Spinslicer!"

Bajula looked down seeing the waves pick up under him. Surfer rode in, and swept up Ladia, returning it to Cindy's hand. As a reward, Bajula gave a Blue Evo Crystal to it, turning it into Spinslicer. Bajula aimed at their target, and Spinslicer nodded in agreement.

"Uberdragon Bajula, Triple Break!"

The three heads all lined up and took a shot at each shield, as the chain dug deep and popped two more crystals that were caught in the blast.

Cindy took her 3 shields and watched Spinslicer break the last one.

She drew and set the very card in mana. "I end my turn. You win." Cindy nodded.

Jamie nodded. "Uberdragon, Todomeda…"

Bajula sent his chain towards Cindy, causing the duel to end.

* * *

><p>"And there you have it folks, we have a Winner! Team Kaijudo Generation has won the Duel Masters NYC Duel Circuit Tournament! With this they now qualify for the upcoming NY State Showdown in just a few months' time. Will they take such a challenge? We'll just have to find out; I'm your announcer David Maxwell, AKA D-MAX Signing out, and I hope you folks enjoy the rest of your day."<p>

Jamie put her cards back into her deck case, located on her wrist and walked over to a group of teenagers who waited to congratulate her. The first teen was a tan-skinned teen wearing a blue Baseball cap, a green and white plaid shirt with a white T-Shirt, black jeans and white sneakers. This was Team KG's Nature/Fire Duelist: Chris Henderson commonly referred to as C.J.

The second teen was a husky Caucasian teen with short brown hair and matching eyes, wearing a gold colored shirt with a white vest, black pants and sneakers. This was KG's Light/Nature Duelist: Jake Stewart.

The third teen was Hispanic, having spiky black hair, dressed in a dark blue shirt with the design of a black Shark on the front of it. He had blue jeans and a sapphire-blue bandana on his left arm. This was KG's Water/Light Duelist: Dylan Rodriguez.

Finally there was their Darkness/Water Duelist Karon Davidson. He was the oldest of the team, also having a middle-eastern appearance, with very little accent. He wore a white dress shirt with a black and blue tie, black khaki's and sneakers. He also had sunglasses that rested in his gelled-spiked black hair.

"That was great; I destroyed the other team so badly with Bajula." Jamie said happily.

Uberdragon Bajula materialized on her shoulder. "It's nice to see you in a better mood than you were earlier."

"Yeah well, I lost my only other Bolshack Dragon in the tournament, but I don't mind. Uberdragon Bajula's always been my favorite Evo Creature back in the old days." She told it.

"Well if I may make a suggestion…" C.J. stood up. "How about we go out to celebrate our win? Karon's Treat."

Karon gave him a cold look and sighed. "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome, thanks for volunteering." Dylan patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'd love to join you guys, but I have to go home; doctor's orders." Jamie admitted. "He said to rest for the rest of the day to just be safe."

C.J.'s enthusiasm began to deflate. "Oh well. How about we move our celebration to tonight, that way we you can rest up and we can take the time to do whatever we have to do; sound good?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Great, so I guess we'll meet at Seaport to hang out over there tonight?"  
>"Sounds good…" Jake agreed. "You guys in?"<p>

The other three members agreed.

"OK then, I'll see you guys over there later on then." Jamie waved goodbye as she left the facility.

"So she really doesn't remember what happened to her huh?" C.J. asked himself. "Well it's for the best; after all. I wouldn't want to remember any of this either…"

"Dude; stop talking to yourself;" Jake tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, D-MAX's giving us our prize."

"Wait, what about Jamie?"

"We'll get it to her tonight, don't worry." Jake then began to push C.J. up to where Karon and Dylan were.

* * *

><p>Jamie found her way out of the park, and instead of getting on the bus, she decided to walk home, rethinking something that happened at the hospital the night before…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

The night before Jamie told her friends goodnight as they were all ready to head home for the next day. Jamie closed her eyes, but she wasn't asleep.

"So, what should we do?" C.J. asked. "We can't tell her what really happened at the tournament."

"Simple." Jake replied. "We keep it a secret. We can tell her that she's the one who caused the accident; she doesn't know about Neo Bolshack Dragon, does she?"

C.J. shook his head. "When we gave her the Bolshack Dragon back we told her that we were Kaijudo Dueling when it happened. News reports were claiming that it was special effects for a DM Movie apparently. She doesn't know about the Neo Creatures. However…"

"However…?"

"Neo did say that he made Jamie make that deck that she used against Cindy the first time. And as far as I know, Jamie said that she made her Tournament deck and went straight to bed; she didn't remember making or even using that other deck."

"Well like I said, we need to keep it a secret; Jamie's one of those people who'll get guilty and heartbroken easily, so we need her to be in her normal fiery-mood tomorrow morning for the rematch."

"OK, so I'll see you and the others tomorrow morning then right?"

"Yeah, see you later Bro."

"Yeah, later Bro."

Unknown to them, Jamie laid in her bed, listening to their entire conversation, her heart breaking into pieces. It was true that she didn't remember anything, but at the same time, she couldn't believe what she heard either…

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>Jamie stopped, realizing that she made it to her building, located on E 65th Street.<p>

She got up to her apartment, located on the top floor of the building, unlocking the door, throwing her keys on the table and taking a notice that her brother Jason, left on the table:

"_Jamie, went out for a bit to run some errands, breakfast is on the stove; doctor said to take it easy and get a lot of rest. I'll be back in a little while, Love Jason." _

Jamie read the note out loud to herself before throwing it back on the table. She went into her room and lays down on her bed. She suddenly bursts into tears, finding it impossible to block the words of her two teammates. Jamie heard that morning about the accident and that a few people were killed and dozens were injured by the freak accident. And just knowing that she unknowingly caused it was killing her inside.

"It's all my fault…" She sobbed…

[END]

* * *

><p>[Kaijudo Corner]<p>

C.J.: Yo my favorite people, I hope you guys liked the first chapter, and it's a bit drama-like since it's picking up directly where KG ended. But I promise the next chapter will get more interesting. So Thanks for reading and we'll see you guys in Chapter 2


	2. Shattered Hearts Part 2

[Kaijudo Corner]

Shuriken16: OK readers, starting off w/ chapter 2 of Vortex Wars; it's time I'd introduce some new cards for the American audience who never heard of the quite just yet. On that note, it's time to jump into chapter 2.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Shattered Hearts part 2<p>

Two weeks passed since The Tournament, with Jamie recovering from her injuries. And it's the end of June.

C.J., Dylan and Jake walked out of their high school that early morning, finally out for the summer; In two months they were moving into their senior year; but for now, they we're gonna do what they did best: Spend the morning hanging out in TCG towers upon hours on end dueling.

* * *

><p>"Hey, did you guys hear about the DCA announcement about the C-Ranks deck build?" Jake asked his friends as they got off the subway car.<p>

"No what was it about?" Dylan asked, curious.

"They announced last week that they're expanding the deck build for C-Ranks to the 'Creation of the Zero Gear' Set."

"Zero Gear?" C.J. asked.

"Set 16. In Japan, it's known as 'Origin of the Perfect Gear.' The DCA named it the Zero Gear Set because they introduced creatures with the G Zero Ability and expanded more on Cross Gears." Jake replied.

"You realize that I never went passed the 13th set right?" C.J. told them. "I have no clue what Cross Gears are."

"Great, then I know what we're doing today."

"Speaking of which, what's Jamie up to?" C.J. asked.

A Fighter Dual Fang materialized on C.J.'s shoulder. "For the last time, stop worrying about your Girlfriend, man, you act like her father."

"For the last time, she is NOT my Girlfriend!"

"You sure about that…? I seem to remember you: Buying her food, looking for her when she went missing, and to top it all off, risked your butt to save her from a possible apocalypse." Dylan counted. "And that happened all in one day."

C.J. sighed and continued to walk. "I swear I can't hang out with you guys; I'll die of embarrassment."

"Don't worry bro; we'll moderate it that way you'll die slowly." Jake reassured.

* * *

><p>Around the same time, Jamie walked out of her apartment, as she had to get something before meeting her friends at TCG towers. With the item set, her and Blaze started to move out.<p>

"You seem to be in a happy mood." Blaze commented on Jamie's calm demeanor.

"Well yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked the Bajula hovering on her shoulder. "It's the last day of school, I should be happy. Two months of dueling! This summer's gonna be a blast."

Jamie ran into someone causing her, and the stranger to fall. She didn't know how that happened, but she saw the hand of the stranger being held out to her.

"Are you OK Miss?" He asked her.

Jamie looked up to see a young Japanese teenager, with short black hair, dressed in a crimson colored shirt under a black vest, black khaki's and black boots.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." Jamie apologized.

"No it was my fault. My Deck Avatar was being a nuisance and I tried to shut him off, which of course made me run into you."

Jamie giggled. "I had a friend whose deck avatar is the same way sometimes.

* * *

><p>"So you're a duelist too huh?" The young teen boy said as he ate his Chocolate Ice cream as he and Jamie sat on the bench close to the edge in Central park.<p>

"Yeah, my Brother's name is Jason Martin; he's the S-Rank known as the 'Skyfire General'." Jamie told him. "When I was about 9, he got me into practicing with him. From there I started to learn on my own and began to participate in tag tournaments with him, eventually becoming an A-Rank myself when I was 14. So what about you? It's kind of weird that I'm eating Ice cream with a guy that I've only known for 20 minutes, let alone not knowing his name."

He realized that and blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. My name's Daisuke Saito. But my friends call me Drake, for using Tyranno Drakes in my Japanese Deck. I'm a Japanese A-Rank, visiting a Friend and doing a little sightseeing in NYC.

"Drake huh… that's a cool nickname."

Drake smiled. "Yeah well, my friends said I've earned it. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure you're known in the Dueling World as 'Lady Amaterasu', am I right?"

Jamie nodded. "How did you know that?"

"When I was a kid in Japan, I remember when The Skyfire General and Lady Amaterasu tag teamed in a DM Tournament, wiping the competition out without a problem. In truth, I'm actually a big fan of the two of you."

Jamie blushed.

"Which actually leads me into my next question: Can we have a duel?"

Jamie was snapped out of her trance. "A duel?"

Drake nodded. "A duel; me and you just for fun; I'm just curious as to see if I can beat my childhood hero is all. Up for it…?"

* * *

><p>The trio of guys walked into TCG Towers, which is crowded due to the fact that school's out for the summer.<p>

"So Karon, having fin babysitting a bunch of: Jr. high school kids?"

Karon rolled his eyes. "What took you guys so long to get here anyway?"

"Trains delayed." Dylan admitted. "But we're here now."

"Time for a new lesson;" Jake mentioned. "With the C-Rankers gaining access to the cross gears, C.J. needs info on them. Mind if you help?"

Karon looked at his friends. "Give me a little while, you guys caught me off guard with this one, so I'm gonna make test decks that we can use for a demonstration. For now go and watch some of the Jr. High kids duke it out."

Karon went under the counter and pulled out his Ipad and began to trace his finger across the screen, building a virtual deck, before he made a real one.

"Give me about 15 minute's tops." Karon said.

"You got it." Dylan said. "Come on, we got 15 minutes, let's go practice a bit."

* * *

><p>"DUEL START!" The shields popped up inside the K-Terminal that Jamie and Drake stood at opposite ends.<p>

Drake sets Darkness mana and ended his turn.

Jamie drew and set Fire mana to start.

Drake drew and set Fire mana as well, ending his turn.

Jamie Draws and sets water mana. "I summon Aqua Guard."

Aqua Guard materialized from the lone sapphire crystal that appeared in the Battle Zone.

Drake drew and set mana. "I summon Cocco Lupia."

A small red bird with a crown on its head, materialized from the three crystals.

Jamie drew, realizing that this situation could go downhill if she's not careful.

"I summon Aqua Hulcus." Jamie said as she set the card down.

Hulcus appeared and supplied Jamie with an extra card as she drew.

Drake drew and set mana. "I summon Two Necrodragon Gilands"

Drake's side of the Battle Zone began to turn swampy as two black serpent-like dragons emerged from the sludge, both having piercing yellow eyes.

Jamie drew and set her fourth mana. "I summon Mezger, Commando Leader. Break his shields, Ike!"

Mezger materialized and took no time to race over to break Drake's shield.

"Shield Trigger…" Drake said.

"Let me guess: Terror pit?" Jamie asked.

"X." Drake finished.

"Shield Trigger… Cross?" Jamie repeated.

"I Generate: Inferno Scissors; Inferno Scissors, Cross onto Necrodragon Giland!"

The Fire cross gear suddenly shifted over to the dragon and slid under the card, the name popping up over Gilands.

In the Battle Zone, a volcano-like geyser erupted in the swamp, as Giland was equipped with the Inferno Scissors, a machine-like structure adding metallic pincers on to his sides.

"Hold on, Only B-Ranks and higher are able to use Cross Gears in their deck, so why do you have them in yours?"

"The DCA decided to add sets up to 16 for all C-Ranks, so this is a legal play. This rule went into effect shortly after the Duel Circuit ended."

That comment hit a spot in Jamie's heart suddenly, and Drake noticed it.

"Did I… say something wrong?"

"No it's nothing, just play." Jamie said, shaking her head.

Drake nodded and drew his next card. "Awaken from your deep sleep: Super Necrodragon Abzo Dolba!"

Drake set the card on top of the Cross-less Giland as that one roared, its face developing a white and red Dragon skull-like mask. The rest of the body became greyish-blue and red, resembling a Dragon skeleton with raw muscles and fur.

Its roar was terrifyingly eerie, even for a dragon as it sat patiently for orders.

"Giland Double Break; when a creature with Inferno scissors attacks, I can destroy any number of your creatures with a total of 3000 or less. So with that, Giland destroys Guard, leaving your defenses wide-open.

Guard moved in front of the shields, but the Inferno Scissors grabbed it, getting it out of its way. Guard was destroyed and Giland shattered two shields.

"Abzo Dolba, Triple Break!"

The king of Zombie Dragons roared and ran it's spiked tail across the last three shields.

"Cocco Lupia, Todomeda!"

Cocco Lupia flew in and dealt Jamie the final blow.

* * *

><p>Jamie looked at her five shields: "Energy Stream, Tornado Flame, Spiral Gate, Aqua Guard and Transmogrify…"<p>

"You had three triggers, why didn't you activate them?" Drake asked as the K-Terminal powered down.

Jamie looked at him. "I don't know… I guess I just choked."

Drake then noticed the tears building in her eyes. "Are you OK?"

Jamie shook her head. "I'm not…"

The two return to the bench where they were earlier. Jamie cleared her throat so she can tell him.

"Two weeks ago during the NYC Duel Circuit, there was a freak accident, where some were killed and dozens were injured. Apparently there was a mechanical error and an explosion came out of it somehow. I didn't know what was happening. One minute my head was being split apart by a never-ending headache, and then the next thing I know I'm the hospital for getting sick during the tournament.

"So why are you upset?"

Jamie wiped her eyes. "It seems that my best friends are keeping a secret about what really happened that afternoon. I overheard them talking about it; they said that I was the one who caused the accident. During the Final match was when it happened, but I don't remember what happened."

"I heard about that on the news." Drake replied. "It sucks that your friends won't tell you what really happened though, and you had to learn the hard way."

Jamie nodded. "The guilt's killing me inside; I hurt so many people that day…"

"But what proof is there that _you_ were the cause of the accident?" Drake asked.

Jamie froze.

"Think about it for a second. The DCA calls it a freak accident. Your overheard you team say that you're the one who caused it. They even lied to you, saying that it was a freak accident and that you were sent to the hospital prior to that incident. Something doesn't add up."

"But why would my friends lie to me?"

Drake shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know the answer to that. To protect you; to not put the pressure on you; I don't know. If I were you, I'd confront them, just to be safe. After all, only they know what _really_ happened that day."

Jamie looked towards the ground, and nodded. "Guess there's no other way but to ask them huh?"

"Seems like it." Drake stood up. "Listen, it was nice meeting you Jamie; but I gotta go take care of something, maybe we can catch up later on?"

Jamie looked up at Drake. "Are you asking me out?"

Drake turned a bit red. "Well when you put it like that, it seems like it. But more like, if you wanna duel again, or if you need someone to talk to… And occasionally see a movie or two."

Jamie smiled. "Definitely; I'm free tonight, is that okay?"

Drake nodded. "Yeah, that's perfect. So I'll meet you back here at about 7pm?"

"It's a date…" Jamie said.

* * *

><p>"So I think I got it." C.J. said as he stared at the situation between his deck and Karon's. Using their NYC Tournament decks, C.J. has on the field: Gonta, the Warrior Savage, and Fighter Dual Fang, 8 mana and two shields, while Karon had 3 shields and nothing defending him. C.J. needs to beat Karon in this turn <em>without<em> using a Speed Attacker.

"You better get it, this is simple."

"Well in that case, let's see what I learned." C.J. began by tapping 3 of his 8 mana.

"I Generate: Terra Stallion." C.J. set the Nature Cross Gear into the Battle Zone. He then tapped 3 more mana.

"Now in order to Cross a gear to a creature, the Gear's cost needs to be paid again. I Cross Terra Stallion onto Fighter Dual Fang."

The Gear slid under Dual Fang as Tsume jumped onto the Horse-like Gear. Tsume drew his sword ready to charge.

"Terra Stallion gives the crossed creature double the amount of their power. If their power hits over 6000, it gains double Breaker, but if it hits 15000, then it has Triple Breaker. Since Fighter Dual Fang's base power is 8000, Terra Stallion doubles it to 16000. Tsume: Triple Break his shields!"

The horse whinnied as it charged; Tsume slashed the three shields to pieces, with Gonta spinning his twin-bladed spear.

"Gonta, Todomeda!"

Karon nodded in agreement. "Nice work, it's looked like you picked up on that quick."

C.J. collected his card and reluctantly handed Karon the Cross gear back. "Cross Gears are insane, I wanna edit my deck and throw some in there."

"How about you go research Cross Gears first, before you start chucking them in." Jake told him.

Jamie finally made it inside TCG towers, not as happy as she was when she was with drake.

"Hey, what took you so long?" C.J. asked. "We were starting to worry that you weren't going to show up.

C.J. heard one of the people behind him (Tsume) make a comment, but he ignored it.

"C.J., I need to talk to you in private." Jamie told him.

C.J. was caught off guard by the sudden request. "Um… Sure."

* * *

><p>The two went outside the store and started walking down the block.<p>

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"The truth…" Jamie replied.

C.J. Froze up and turned back.

"The truth about what happened these last few months. I want to know what really happened when you guys went to get my Bolshack Dragon and what happened at the tournament; Everything…"

C.J. was speechless; he didn't know what to say. "I…I…"

"What happened to me during the tournament? What was it that you and Jake didn't want me to know?"

"Me and Jake…? What are you talk- It then hit him. "You heard that conversation…?"

"What are you guys hiding from me? Answer me now!" Jamie was getting ready to shout.

C.J. really didn't know what to say at this point; so he decided to reply by saying this…

"OK, I'll tell you everything: After Luke took your Bolshack dragon, I went after him, losing his trail. We found where he and his team was and we went. Karon, Jake and Dylan dueled against Luke and his team, just so we could get Bolshack Dragon back. Come to realize, that Blaze, was turned into a Black Bolshack Dragon named Neo. We defeated it and we get it back. Now at the tournament, you never came back from the bathroom after we parted ways. During Dylan's duel, I ran into Cindy of Team Neo and she said that she'd go and look for you. She found you and you guys talked for a bit."

"I don't remember that." Jamie said. "I don't remember talking. I just remember going to the bathroom and ending up in the hospital."

"Between those times you went to duel against Cindy. You were involved in a Kaijudo Duel with Cindy, and by using the Neo Bolshack Dragon; you nearly killed Cindy when you attacked her directly. That Dragon had complete control of you and sure enough _He_ was the 'freak accident' that was believed to be a machine error. MSG was wreaked due to his and a few other of your creatures but we managed to contain it. Afterward you ended up in the hospital, telling you that you got sick during the tournament, but in reality, it was because I knocked your mind-controlled consciousness on its butt."

"And why was it so hard to tell me all of this in the first place?" Jamie asked, kind of furious.

"Because I was worried that you'd think that everything that the guys and I went through was your fault. That's why I didn't want to tell you."

Jamie looked into C.J.'s eyes, realizing how sincere he was. She began to tear up.

"I'm sorry…" C.J. said.

She looked down towards the ground and said something under her breath as the tears fell.

"I hate you guys…" Jamie said louder.

"I know…" C.J. replied, feeling guilty. He attempted to put his hand on her shoulder, but she swatted him away like nothing.

"Get the hell away from me…" She hissed all of the sudden. "I can't stand being on a team where I'm lied to every second I'm there."

"But-

"What, are you gonna tell me something else that you lied about?" Jamie asked him. "Is it that Cindy 'let me win' that match; or how about Luke took my _other _Bolshack Dragon, because frankly, I seemed to have lost it back in the tournament when I was under 'mind control'."

"What's your problem? You told me to tell you what happened so I did." C.J. retorted.

"It's the fact you lied to me!" Jamie shouted. "Not just you; all of you guys; for what? Did you think you were going to protect me?"

C.J. couldn't take this anymore. "Jamie, just get to the point, what are you trying to say?"

Jamie balled her fist up. "I'm Quitting KG; that's my point."

C.J.'s heart skipped a beat. "What did you say…?"

"I can't be on a team where I'm lied to all of the time. My days with Team KG are done with, go find another gullible girl for you to deceive, because I've had it."

Jamie turned and stormed off farther down the street as C.J. watched.

"I like you." C.J. finally called out. "That's the reason why I didn't tell you what really happened; the reason why I talked the others into risking our lives for Blaze; The reason why I went out of my way to save you from Neo."

Jamie turned and looked at C.J. "How do I know that you're not lying about that…?"

C.J. didn't reply and watched Jamie continue to storm off.

C.J. came back into TCG Towers extremely frustrated.

"Hey are you OK?" Jake asked him.

"Oh yeah I'm great. I told her the truth, she's pissed at us, she quit the team, and I got rejected. All of that in five minutes." C.J. said in the most sarcastic way possible. "I really screwed up…"

* * *

><p>Later in that night, Jamie walked up to her meeting spot where Drake waited.<p>

"Great, you made it." He smiled.

Jamie smiled, but couldn't hold her emotions in as Drake imitatively comforted her. "I'm assuming that you found out the truth huh?"

Jamie nodded, sobbing.

"Don't worry; I'm here for you… I promise that I'll be truthful to you…

Drake's shadow shows the silhouette of a flaming bird-like creature, as he hugged Jamie.

"Always…" he finished his sentence.

[END]

* * *

><p>[Kajudo Corner]<p>

Shuriken16: For the love of god I really need to get back into my Kamen Rider Fanfics, because Duel Masters is taking up way too much time at this point. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you guys in Chapter 3.


	3. Eye of the Vortex

[Kaijudo Corner]

Shuriken16: Hey people, well despite Hurricane Irene's rampage making everyone stay inside for safety reasons, what other way to kill time than to update a story? And this morning, I have Duel Masters on the brain. So with that said, let's get started.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Eye of the Vortex<p>

* * *

><p>Jamie ran through her deck some more after thinking of different combos to expand her capabilities with the new Cross Gears that Drake got her. Her cellphone rung suddenly as she looked over to it; seeing that it was C.J. she ignored it and went back to her deck building.<p>

Once the call ended, the screen read "4 missed calls" on it.

* * *

><p>C.J. on the other side didn't bother to leave a message and decided to hang up. "Just perfect…" he laid in his bed, dueling on the TCO Website to test his deck with a few cross gears that he decided to add.<p>

On the screen, his opponent was using an Earth Dragon/ Fire Bird deck, having only 1 shield, seven mana, and for creatures: Terradragon Regarion and Cocco Lupia on his field.

C.J. had Fighter Dual Fang and Armored Decimator Valkaiser, while having 3 shields and about nine mana. Terra Stallion was crossed onto Dual Fang, making it a Triple Breaker, but at the same time, not something easily destroyable.

His opponent: SP_Princess made a smiley face the second she drew her card.

"Got something good?" C.J. messaged.

"You have no idea." She replied. She tapped four of her mana and put Regarion on top of Cocco Lupia. C.J. thought it was odd at first; that was until she put down her new summoned creature.

"Vortex Evolution: Soul Phoenix, Avatar of Unity." SP_Princess typed into the chat box. "And then…" She tapped her remaining mana. "Pyrofighter Magnus."

She tapped Soul Phoenix, breaking 3 shields. C.J. took them, none of them triggering.

"Pyro, Todomeda!" she typed as she tapped her creature.

C.J. declared her winner as she flipped over her shield. "Octillion Force; would've come in handy."

C.J. switched screens over finding her deck labeled: "Unity Cross." He shot down the list coming to the card: Soul Phoenix: Avatar of Unity.

"*(This creature is put into your mana zone tapped.)

*Vortex Evolution - Put on one of your Fire Birds and one of your Earth Dragons.

*Triple Breaker (This creature breaks 3 shields).

*When this card would leave the battle zone, only the top card leaves the battle zone instead (Separate the other cards into 2 creatures)." C.J. read out loud.

"Wow that Soul Phoenix is really cool." C.J. messaged her.

"This is actually my real deck; Soul Phoenix is such a rare card, my father actually got it for me when he came to America on a business trip some years ago."

"That's so cool; I didn't know Vortex Evolution Creatures existed."

"Lol, did u just start playing Duel Masters?"

"Yeah, I started a few months ago; I only recently made C-Rank."

"That's cool. Well, I gotta get ready to go out, ttyl." SP_Princess typed.

"Cya later."

C.J. closed the duel table as he went back to lying on his bed.

"So, that was a pretty interesting matchup." Tsume said as he sat next to C.J. on his bed.

"Yeah, I'm glad Karon told me about TCO, despite its bugs it's a great way to practice with my deck; and I get to experiment with tons of Cross Gears, which is a plus too."

"That's the spirit; take your mind off of Jamie, and why did I say that?" Tsume facepalmed himself.

"I still can't believe that she quit Team KG…" C.J. thought. "I mean she's the one who taught me the rules on how to play and everything…"

"And you 'like' her, don't forget about that detail." Tsume mentioned.

C.J. facepalmed himself as well; "Crap… And I told her that I liked her…"

"But if she's not on a KG's Team, then what do you think she's gonna do?"

"I have no clue, she hasn't returned my calls, and on top of that, she's probably still upset us; Or at least Jake and I."

"Well there's only one thing to do…"

"What's that?"

"Sleep on it." Tsume told him. "No point in thinking about this with you being tired; you had a long day so get some sleep."

C.J. nodded. "Yeah you're right."

And with that, C.J. got himself ready for bed.

* * *

><p>A few days later C.J. got off the ferry boat once it docked in Manhattan, heading over to TCG Towers.<p>

"I wonder what kind of Cross gears I'll get from the booster packs I plan on buying." C.J. wondered.

"There's only one way to find out." Tsume replied.

Once they arrived in TCG Towers, C.J. and Tsume walked in, coming upon Dylan, Jake and Karon, having disturbed expressions on their faces.

"Good Morning guys, what's with the long faces?"

"Jamie and her new 'friend'…" Dylan pointed.

C.J. looked up and his chest tightened.

"Super Necrodragon Abzo Dolba, Triple Break!" Drake tapped his Dragon. "Inferno Scissors effect triggers, wiping out Aqua Guard."

Abzo Dolba roared as it charged, grabbing Aqua Guard and smashing the three shields to pieces.

"And now: Cocco Lupia, Todomeda!"

Jamie snickered, as she lost the game.

"That was a great attempt." Drake smirked. "But, nothing can beat my Abzo Dolba."

Abzo Dolba roared in response.

"Don't worry, I'll beat you. I'm not called Lady Amaterasu for nothing."

Drake nodded. "That's for sure; you sure do have a fiery passion for dueling."

Jamie smiled at the comment.

* * *

><p>"Who is he?" C.J. asked.<p>

"No clue." Jake said. "Apparently he's some Japanese A-Rank that became buddy-buddy with his #1 Role Model."

"I see…"

"C.J, please don't try anything stupid." Dylan told him.

"I'm not, I just wanna talk to Jamie; If I can get her to duel with me maybe I can start up a conversation from there."

"Good luck with that." Karon replied.

* * *

><p>C.J. waked over to the duo, as Jamie turned. Her face went from happy, to disappointed in almost no time.<p>

"Wanna Duel Jamie? It's been a few weeks since we've had at least one m-"

"Screw off C.J." Jamie replied coldly. "You're the last person I want to see."

C.J. felt the sharp revelation in his heart. However, that wasn't enough to make him move. "No. Not until you duel me; I miss my friend and I want to spend 10 minutes with her in one duel."

"I said get away from me." Jamie snapped.

"Not until I get my teammate back." C.J. snapped back. "Kettou Da!"

"I said no; I don't duel with liars." Jamie told him. "Now move or I'll force you to."

"Oh come on, what's one duel? I know with your hot blooded temper you would want me to shut up right?" C.J. asked.

"Why you little…"

"How about _I_ Duel him for you…?" Drake broke the two of them up. "Yoshi, I accept you challenge."

"Drake you don't have to-

"No, no; I insist. I want to see for myself what _trash_ you left behind when you joined up with me."

C.J. smirked. "Sure then. Let's go duel outside, it's roomier there."

"Fine, if you insist." Drake nodded. "Lead the way."

C.J. and Drake began to leave.

"I'll be back Jamie. I guess you can practice for a little while before I get back."

Jamie nodded and walked over to a group of duelist who were one-man short of a tag duel."

"I guess we're stuck too?" Jake asked.

"I guess. I promise, I'll get Jamie to change her mind after this." C.J. nodded.

* * *

><p>Once outside and at a K-Terminal, they strapped their gloves on, activating the machine.<p>

"Well now this should be an interesting matchup." Drake said as he shields materialized.

"Only one way to find out…" C.J. replied as his did the same.

"DUEL START!"

"I'll start." Drake set Darkness mana and ended his turn.

C.J. drew and set Nature mana, ending his turn.

Drake drew and set Fire mana ending his turn.

C.J. drew and mimicked Drake's move. "I summon Gonta, the Warrior Savage."

C.J. set the multicolored card onto the terminal as a fierce Jungle man with cat-like features and a twin-bladed javelin materialized on his side.

Drake drew his next card and set mana. "I summon Cocco Lupia."

Cocco Lupia flew into the Battle Zone, whistling a little tune.

C.J drew and set mana. "I summon Bronze-arm Tribe. Gonta, Break his shield, Ike!"

Gonta roared and ran twirling his javelin overhead. He jumped and smashed the shield into pieces.

Drake picked the shield up and added it to his hand. He then drew and set darkness mana. "I summon Necrodragon Jagraveen; and I end my turn."

A black Dragon-like skeleton materialized into the battle zone.

C.J. drew and set mana. "I cast Faerie life to add an extra mana. And with the remaining 3 I summon a second Bronze-arm Tribe to add one more mana. I end my turn."

"You OK? You seem a little hesitant to attack me." Drake asked me.

"That Dragon's a 6000 powered blocker. What's the point in attacking if it's not gonna go through?"

Drake smirked. "There are times when you shouldn't worry about things like that, and should just take a chance to see what happens. Like for example… How you should've took a chance and tell Jamie about what really happened at the tournament, rather than keep it behind her back…"

C.J. gave Drake a look. "Just start your turn."

Drake nodded and drew his card; he set that very card in the mana zone and looked back at C.J.

"You should've attacked when you had the chance." He told him. Because when Jagraveen Blocks, he is destroyed after the battle. However, with you little blunder, it allows me to do this."

Drake tapped four mana and slid Jagraveen on top of Lupia.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" C.J. started to say.

"Vortex Evolution: Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"

Drake slammed the card down as his glove suddenly sparked red and black lightning. The sky turned dark as a loud screech was heard from the clouds. From there, descended a purplish Phoenix, with crimson and black wings.

"That creature…"

"Yes, it's a real flesh and blood creature: Meet the Avatar of Doom." Drake smiled evilly.

C.J. charged his glove, summoning his creatures behind him. "Some black bird isn't gonna scare me."

"Maybe this will. Death Phoenix: Destroy his shields, Ike!"

Death phoenix roared and burned two shields away, burning away, rather than regenerating into cards.

"When Death Phoenix attacks, shields go to the grave rather than your hand." Drake mentioned.

C.J. didn't like the sound of that as he drew his next card. "Bronze-Arm tribe, evolve into Fighter Dual Fang!"

Bronze-arm nodded and held it's hand up, the Evo Crystal materializing, evolving it into Dual Fang.

"Tsume, Double Break!"

Tsume nodded and slashed his two shields to pieces.

"Shield triggers: Inferno Scissors and Terror pit. I cross Inferno Scissors onto Death Phoenix and Terror Pit goes after Gonta."

The Scissors arm themselves onto the wings of Death Phoenix, as it's screech awakens the dark Terror Pit to swallow Gonta.

"No way…" C.J. Said.

"Don't worry, you haven't seen anything yet." Drake said as he drew his card.

"Brace yourself kid." Tsume told him.

"I Summon…" Drake tapped six mana and the creature materialized, much to C.J.'s horror.

"There's no way…"

"Bolshack Dragon…" Drake smiled.

Bolshack Dragon flew in and landed on Drake's side.

"Why do you have that Bolshack Dragon?" C.J. Snapped at him.

Drake smiled. "All in due time my young friend. Death Phoenix, Kill Dual Fang; Ike!"

Death phoenix charged Tsume, carrying him into the air and into the clouds. Seconds later Death phoenix dived down to the earth, it and Tsume lit in black flames as they crashed behind C.J.

"I end my turn." Drake crosses his arms as Death Phoenix returned back to its master.

"Vortex Evolution creatures… they're unreal." C.J. reach for his card, but his hand shook fiercely. He was afraid to continue on.

"I pass…" C.J. said involuntarily.

"In that case, I evolve Bolshack Dragon into Super Necrodragon Abzo Dolba."

"What?" C.J. was shocked to hear.

Bolshack Dragon took the dark Evo Crystal, as its shadow-like powers consumed it, turning it into the monstrous dark dragon.

"Abzo Dolba can evolve from any creature that has Dragon in its race. Armored Dragons, Volcano Dragons, Zombie Dragons, Earth Dragons… The list goes on and on. Triple Break…"

Abzo Dolba roared and lashed out on C.J's shields as C.J. felt the sharp bits fly past him. His stamina nearly exhausted and his fear ever building, C.J. really felt like he wasn't gonna get Jamie back.

"Now kid, any last words before I kill you…" Drake asked him.

"Just one question: Who are you…?"

Drake chuckled. "I am the Evil incarnate himself…"

C.J.'s eyes widen as he heard those words, remembering Neo's dying words…

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

Neo looked at the eight teenagers and laughed. "You kids don't know what you're dealing with. I'm NEO! The KING OF THE KAIJIN NO SEKAI!"

"Wrong!" Tsume shot. "You're not the king… I am!"

Tsume pushed himself out of the rubble and dashed towards Neo.

"Have it your way…" Neo said as he ignited his hands.

"Not happening; Gaia, Attack!" Trey's Glove sparked up as Ultra Mantis materialized in midair, blindsiding Neo.

"Now!" C.J. shouted. The other's gloves simultaneously sparked up as their respected creatures materialized and went all out assaulting Neo.

Neo reflected them, however he's been dealt fatal blows from each of them; except one: Tsume.

Neo's body felt weak, and like they mentioned, it also felt like it was breaking apart.

"This is… Not possible. I… can't die like this… I WILL NOT DIE LIKE THIS!"

"It's over Neo…" Tsume held his sword over his shoulder.

The dying dragon looked at him and shook his head. "No my rival… It's far from over. If you think I'm Hell…? What's coming can be considered the Evil Incarnate himself!"

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>"The Evil Incarnate…?" C.J. repeated.<p>

Drake smirked. "Todomeda…"

Death Phoenix roared and shot towards C.J. igniting itself.

* * *

><p>C.J. Screamed in fear, suddenly finding himself in the darkness of his room in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavy and he couldn't calm down.<p>

"What the hell was that thing…?"

He looked at his clock, realizing that he's been sleep for no more than an hour.

"It was dream..." C.J. told himself. "It was just a dream… Thank God it was a dream…"

C.J. laid back in bed and closed his eyes again.

* * *

><p>"That's cool. Well, I gotta get ready to go out, ttyl." was typed into a TCO Chat Box.<p>

"Cya later." Replied the other user "Shinobi16".

The Young girl closed her laptop as a knock was heard on her car window.

"Miss Saito…" Her limo driver said through the glass.

The young Japanese teen rolled down her window.

"We've arrived at the hotel where the rest of your company is waiting.

"Thank you, I'll be out in a minute." She replied.

Seconds later she jumped out of the car, her hair black, tied into a bun with ruby red chopsticks, wearing a green shirt and a white long-sleeved shirt under it. She also wore black skinny jeans and matching sneakers. Around her arm was a unique Deck case, being a red and Green color, having a slot for the deck rather than being stored inside; similar to something you'd see in the Anime. On the front of it, was the Soul Phoenix, Avatar of Unity card.

She took in the air of NYC and looked up at the sky. "Time to get to work…" She reluctantly sighed.

END

* * *

><p>[Kaijudo Corner]<p>

Shuriken16: OK I think I did OK with this chapter. Got to introduce Vortex Evolution and such, and now it's time to move on. Cya guys in chapter 4


	4. The Ultimate Team Challenge: Round 1

[Kaijudo Corner]

C.J.: Hey readers, how's it hanging? Well this chapter we're gonna introduce some new characters and possibly scratch the surface of the plot of Vortex Wars. So let's get started.

Chapter 4: The Ultimate Team Challenge: Round 1

C.J. was still freaking out from his nightmare; it felt just too real, like he lived those moments. But he had to face facts: It's only been an hour since he went to sleep. Nothing like that happened to him. At least, not yet anyway, he thought to himself.

C.J. forced himself back to sleep as hours drifted by until the sun came back up.

"Hey Tsume…"

Tsume materialized from the charging Deck Case. "Morning." The Deck Avatar yawned.

"Did you hear me dreaming last night?" he asked.

"You mean that nightmare that you had? Yeah, of course I heard you; so loud I could barely go to sleep." He admitted.

"I see…" C.J. thought. "What do you know about Avatar Creatures?"

Tsume looked up, surprised by the question. "Where did that come from?"

"Just a thought; Do you know anything about them?"

"Can't say I do;" Tsume told him. "But it's not something to worry about to be frank."

C.J. nodded. "Not yet anyway…" he murmured to himself.

* * *

><p>The young Japanese girl lies on her Hotel Bed, going through the website, skimming through various decks made by other users. Sarina Saito always had a passion for dueling, even when she was a little kid growing up. And once she found TCO, she decided to expand her horizon. Today she was gonna meet with another team and she hopes that they can put up a challenge.<p>

A knock at her door diverted her attention, even though her eyes stayed on the screen. "Who is it?"

"It's me, open up!" A child-like voice said on the other side.

Sarina sighed and forced herself up to open the door.

"You could at least say please you little twerp." She said as she found a young blonde-haired boy at her door.

He wore a zipped blue hoodie with a white shirt under it, blue and yellow shorts and white sneakers. His blonde hair was short and a bit messy, but it's typical for a 12 year old.

"Yeah yeah, and I can also tell you to respect your elders, but I'm smart enough to know when to keep my mouth shut." He shot back he walked in and plopped himself on the chair next to the bed.

Sarina resisted the urge to strangle him by changing the subject. "Where are Adrian and Nikki?"

"Nikki's hanging out at the pool and Adrian's taking care of the cost of the rooms."

"And they want me to babysit?"

"They want _me_ to babysit." He corrected.

"Yeah, they want me to babysit." She sighed. She got back on the bed and looked at her laptop. She chose her "Unity Cross" deck and headed over to the game lobby, where she saw Shinobi16 waiting for a challenge.

"Sweet, he's online." She smiled as she sent the challenge.

"Who's online?"

"Just some guy I met on this TCG Website. We've been playing together quite a bit."

"Aw isn't that cute; Sarina has a crush on a 40-year old troll." The boy cracked.

"Wyatt just gets out of my room!" Sarina snarled.

"No can do, Nikki put me on Babysitting duty."

"But I'm 15, your 12."

"But I'm a genius, and you're a trouble-maker. Who's the most responsible one in this situation?" Wyatt countered.

Sarina growled and turned back to her laptop. "Fine you can stay."

"Great; glad we agreed on something."

* * *

><p>Another knock on the door roughly ten minutes later revealed a man, in his early thirties, with a blonde-colored beard wearing a brown Newsboy cap, a green button-down shirt with a brown vest, light tan khaki's and brown shoes. Next to him was a young woman, early twenties with long Jet-black hair, bright blue eyes that contrasted to the black eyeliner. She wore a purplish-black tanktop, black skinny jeans and sandals that showed off the dark-blue nail polish.<p>

"Behaving you two?" The man asked the two.

Wyatt was half-asleep on the chair watching TV while Sarina was too busy to notice them, as her brain was warped in TCO at the moment.

"Hi guys." Sarina said.

"Well, it looks like you two kept under control." The woman said. "Normally you two would be ripping each other's throats out."

"Sarina managed to distract herself with her "Online Boyfriend." Wyatt told them. "Nice try." He said as he caught the pillow that she flung at him.

"Wyatt, please act your age will you?" Adrian told him.

"I thought I was acting like a 12 year old. I'm sorry if I don't fit the description."

"Wise-cracking little…" Sarina started to say to herself.

"Calm down." Nikki ordered Sarina.

"So what are todays' activities going to involve if you don't mind me asking?" Sarina asked, still dueling.

"Dueling, what else?" Wyatt replied. "But we're not just going up against anyone. We're going up against the NYC Duel Circuit champs: Team Kaijudo Generation."

"T-O-D-O-M-E-D-A." Sarina recited as she beat her friend yet again.

"Guess she's getting a head start." Adrian commented.

* * *

><p>C.J. sighed as he looked at the Terradragon Regarion travel to his shield zone as "T-O-D-O-M-E-D-A" was typed in the chat box.<p>

"Nice try ;)" SP_Princess wrote.

"I wanna rematch!" C.J. typed in.

"Sorry, but I gotta go, My Team's heading to a card shop in NYC for a Team Challenge match."

"OK, good luck on that then; talk to you later."

"Bye."

* * *

><p>Sarina closed the chat box and closed her laptop. "OK, I'm ready to leave."<p>

"Great, let's get moving then." Wyatt yawned, jumping out of his chair.

The four team members walked out of the room to get ready to meet up with their challengers.

* * *

><p>"Yo Jake; Have you heard from Jamie?" C.J. asked as he and Dylan watched him duel.<p>

"Can't say I have; after yesterday's episode, I don't think she wants to talk to us."

"You mean when she was in the shop with that guy?"

"What guy? She came in and flipped out on you yesterday." Jake picked up his newly broken shield. "Shield trigger: Variant Spark, I tap Syrius, Firmament Elemental. Now, I cross Glorious Heaven's Arm to Alcadeias. Marsyas, Sun Elemental attacks Syrius, Alcadeias, Todomeda."

"Never mind…"  
>"Don't tell me you had another prophetic nightmare again." Dylan assumed. "What's next? A Giant Black Phoenix is gonna destroy the city?"<p>

C.J. turned to him. "Don't jinx it."

* * *

><p>The doors to TCO Towers slid open, revealing the group of four. They looked around, finding Karon walking up to them.<p>

"It's nice to finally meet you." Adrian told Karon.

"Likewise. So, is this your team?"

"Yes it is; Four of us. And you have…?"

"Four as well; one of our teammates is taking a break from Dueling for a little bit so…"

"Ah I see then. Well nonetheless a 4 round match should go well right?"

"For us maybe…" Karon replied.

"You're cocky." Nikki responded. "That's so cute for someone who's gonna get thrashed about."

"The feeling's mutual." Karon shot back.

"Well I see that you two are all riled up. So in that case we should get star- Wyatt, where'd Sarina run off too?"

"That way…" Wyatt pointed over to the left, finding Sarina gazing at the various rare cards between the Fire and Nature Civilizations in display.

Adrian sighed. "What am I going to do with that child?"

The KG trio walks over to where Karon was, greeting the team.

"So these are our opponents for the Team Challenge today?" Jake asked.

"Yep; Team Vortex…" Karon said.

"What's a team challenge?" C.J. asked.

"Think Clan Wars, but for Duel Masters. Basically it's when teams go on the DCA website to apply for meeting with other teams for a friendly exhibition match; no points, no wagers, just to have fun and get to know other duelist in our area." Dylan explained in a nutshell.

"That's so cool. Why couldn't we do these months ago?" C.J. asked.

"It's a privilege only open to C-Rank Teams and higher. It's supposed to help build our Ranks up by getting a higher amount of points. If this was open to a D-Rank Team, then they'd get their experience too easily, making it so that they get almost no experience; that's why it's only open to C-Ranks and Higher.

"Well I guess that makes sense." C.J. nodded.

"So then, who should start first?" Jake wondered.

"How about we let Sarina Duel? She's been itching for it ever since we arrived here in NYC." Nikki Suggested.

"In that case, C.J. will play for us." Karon said.

"Wait why do I have to duel first?"

"For experience; Besides you need to take your mind off some things." Jake pushed him to the table.

"Hey Sarina, we're getting started; you're up first."

Sarina looked up and nodded. "OK then."

She walked over to the terminal and slid her Green colored Glove on.

"Cool, so I'm guessing you're a Nature Duelist?" C.J. asked curiously.

Sarina smirked, and Red and Green mixed lightning suddenly sparked from her glove. I have a bit of a fiery passion as well."

"This should prove interesting." Adrian commented.

The two shuffled their decks and the shields materialized inside the K-Terminal.

* * *

><p>"DUEL START!" They said together.<p>

"Ladies first…" C.J. passed the start of the game to Sarina.

"Appreciate it." She set Fire mana and ended her turn.

C.J. Drew and set Nature Mana. "I Generate: Emerald Claws."

Sarina drew and set Nature mana. "I end my turn."

C.J. drew and set Fire Mana, and tapped the two of them. "I summon Dreaming Moon Knife."

A Small White gopher-like creature wielding a twin bladed halberd materialized into the battle zone.

"With his effect, I can send one card in my hand to my mana zone." C.J. sends Natural Snare to his mana.

"Now, I cross Emerald Claws onto Dreaming Moon knife, giving him an additional +2000 power, totaling 3000."

The claws materialized onto Moon Knife's paws as it gained adrenaline, wanting to unleash its power.

"Pretty smart…" Sarina commented. "You have experience with Nature. However, it's my turn to see what I can pull off." She drew and set mana. "I summon Cocco Lupia."

Cocco Lupia blew into its flute announcing her arrival.

"I already don't like the looks of this." C.J. said.

"Your turn." Sarina told him.

C.J. drew and set mana. "I summon Gonta the Warrior Savage."

Gonta jumped from the sky into the battle zone, unleashing a war cry.

"Moon Knife, break her shield Ike!"

The emerald Claws began to radiate a Green color as Moon Knife scurried up to Sarnia's side slashing away a shield.

"Shield trigger: Hell's Scrapper. I destroy Gonta."

The broken shards reformed into a machine that pulled Gonta towards it. He stuck his weapon into the ground, to try and stop the forceful pull, but it didn't work. The machine crushed Gonta resulting in a stream of red and green data from the underside.

"I end my turn." C.J. said as he sent Gonta to the grave.

"Great." Sarina drew and set mana. "I summon Terradragon Dagradolgran."

The four mana crystals materialized and Cocco Lupia played a tune on her flute, the music notes becoming the two remaining mana. The six fused together to create a red and gold colored earth dragon, green streams of energy pouring from his back, like boosters.

"I end my turn."

C.J. drew and set mana. "I Summon Bronze-arm tribe, and I gain an extra mana; then with the remaining three, I Generate Terra Stallion. Moon Knife, break her shield, Ike!"

Moon knife followed the instruction and slashed another shield. Once Sarina picked it up, she smiled.

"Got something good?" C.J. asked.

"You'll find out right now; Shield Trigger X: Octillion Force! I cross It onto my Terradragon!"

"Oh man, C.J.'s in trouble." Dylan commented.

The "Octillion Force Cross Gear" was modeled after a Bug, acting as a giant suit of armor. It broke apart, the wings of it sliding into the top booster-like structure on his back, while the blades shot onto the lower part, overlapping his arms. The bug-like legs clasped onto his lower body and finally the head-like structure installed itself onto his head.

The armored Terradragon roared, accepting the new power.

"The Cross Gear gives my creature power attacker +9000 and Triple Breaker. But that's only the half of it." Sarina explained.

"Still don't like the sound of this." C.J. commented.

Sarina drew her card. "I summon: Super Dragon Machine Dolzark."

With the combination of mana and Cocco Lupia's flute, an Armored Earth Dragon rose into the battle zone, wielding various weapons such as a tomahawk and a scythe.

"Dagradolgran, Destroy Dreaming Moon Knife."

The said dragon roared, and used its new boosters to ram the small creature, it dispersing into data. Bronze suddenly looked at his hands as it converted into a mana crystal, surprising C.J.

"When a Dragon that I control attacks, Dolzark can turn any one of your creatures with power 5000 or less into mana…"

"OK I see. In that case I need to start picking my game up." C.J. said as he drew, set mana and tapped it . "Dreaming Moon Knife; I send a card from my hand to mana, and finally: Roar King of the Jungle! Fighter Dual Fang!"

Dreaming Moon Knife materialized with the Evo Crystal around its neck as it evolved into Dual Fang.

"Finally, Terra Stallion crosses to Dual Fang. Triple Break!"

Dual Fang jumped onto it and they rode through her last three shields.

"You may play Nature beautifully… however; I've seen this play plenty of times…" Sarina said as he held one of her broken shields. "Shield trigger: Natural Snare."

C.J. grew cold. "What?"

Natural snare took Fang away, adding 2 more mana to him totaling 13.

"My turn…" She drew and set her mana. "Now then; It time to reveal my true power of my deck: With the Passion of Fire, and the Grace of Nature, Allow them to become Unified as one…"

She slid Dolzark on top of Cocco Lupia, shocking C.J.

"Vortex Evolution: Soul Phoenix, Avatar of Unity!" she slammed the card on the table.

Dolzark turned to Lupia, and Lupia turned to Dolzark. Lupia ignited it's body in flames and flew around Dolzark in a spiral of flames.

Suddenly a Wing shot out, being dark green with red armor. Then an identical one shot from the other side. A loud screech was made as two flaming blades materialized. A pair of talons grabbed onto them as the flame tornado extinguished, revealing the Soul Phoenix. It had four wings, the bigger ones based on leaves, while the smaller red ones were more armor-like. Most of its body excluding the talons and head resembled leaves as its headdress looked similar to an Aztec crown.

"The Fire Bird represents the Heart of the Phoenix, where the desire to form a bond with all Dragons exist; While the Earth Dragon Represents the Body, where its strength and might are shown. This creature Shows the never ending unity between the Fire and Nature Civilizations; Which is why it gained the title: Avatar of Unity."

"That's… So amazing…" C.J. gazed at the Soul Phoenix first hand.

"Dagradolgran, Triple Break."

Dagradolgran roared and shot into C.J.'s shields, turning them into mana.

"What that…?"

"Whoops, I forgot to mention Dagradolgran's Accelerator ability; once a creature is crossed with a gear, their accelerator ability kicks in, like keys to an ignition. When Dagradolgran breaks shields, they're sent to your mana instead of your hand.

"Man this bites… Mezger, Cavern raider and Dual Fang all sent to mana." C.J. said as he set the trio to mana, making his total 16.

"I end my turn." Sarina said.

C.J. drew his next card. "I have a question. Do you play on TCO?"

Sarina was caught off guard by that question. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason;" C.J. tapped four mana. "I was just wondering because it'll save me the time of waiting until later on to tell you: Todomeda."

"What do you-" Sarina's eyes widened.

"I had a second Mezger…" C.J. smirked…. "Todomeda!"

Mezger materialized and ran, dodging attacks from Soul phoenix, giving C.J. the win.

* * *

><p>Sarina was dumbfounded by the sudden blindside victory.<p>

Jake and Dylan were just as shocked. "No freakin way…" Jake uttered

"Wow that was a lucky draw." Wyatt commented. "OK Sarina, move, I'm up next."

"Good Game, SP_Princess." C.J. smiled.

Sarina nodded. "Likewise, Shinobi16."

Wyatt looked at the two. "Well I guess I was wrong… He's not a 40 year old loser after all."

Sarina turned to Wyatt and punched him in the shoulder. "Sorry my hand doesn't seem to like you today. Bad hand."

"Calm down you two." Adrian ordered. "I don't understand why it's so hard to keep those two under control."

"Maybe a duel will calm the kid down. I'll go second."

"Fine with me…" Jake said.

"DO what you want." Karon seconded.

"Great. In that case let's get started." Wyatt said as he strapped on his glove. Blue and Yellow Lightning sparked on his glove as well…

[END]


	5. Twin Brainiacs: Wyatt Vs Dylan

C.J. drew his next card. "I have a question. Do you play on ?"

Sarina was caught off guard by that question. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason;" C.J. tapped four mana. "I was just wondering because it'll save me the time of waiting until later on to tell you: Todomeda."

"What do you-" Sarina's eyes widened.

"I had a second Mezger…" C.J. smirked…. "Todomeda!"

Mezger materialized and ran, dodging attacks from Soul phoenix, giving C.J. the win.

Sarina was dumbfounded by the sudden blindside victory.

Jake and Dylan were just as shocked. "No freakin way…" Jake uttered

"Wow that was a lucky draw." Wyatt commented. "OK Sarina, move, I'm up next."

"Good Game, SP_Princess." C.J. smiled.

Sarina nodded. "Likewise, Shinobi16."

Wyatt looked at the two. "Well I guess I was wrong… He's not a 40 year old loser after all."

Sarina turned to Wyatt and punched him in the shoulder. "Sorry my hand doesn't seem to like you today. Bad hand."

"Calm down you two." Adrian ordered. "I don't understand why it's so hard to keep those two under control."

"Maybe a duel will calm the kid down. I'll go second."

"Fine with me…" Jake said.

"DO what you want." Karon seconded.

"Great. In that case let's get started." Wyatt said as he strapped on his glove. Blue and Yellow Lightning sparked on his glove as well…

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Twin Brainiacs: Wyatt Vs. Dylan<p>

* * *

><p>Wyatt and Dylan aligned their shields and drew their cards, acknowledging that the two were ready to start.<p>

"DUEL START!"

"I'll start off." Wyatt set Light mana. "I summon Cubela, the Oracle."

The Topaz crystal materialized and reformed into a greyish-white orb creature with six picks, 3 on each side.

Dylan drew and set Water mana. "I end."

Wyatt drew and set Water mana. "I summon Emeral, and I use his ability to swap my shields out with a card from my hand." Wyatt sets a card down and took the card under it, replacing it with the new card.

Dylan drew and set light mana. "Well by the looks of it, a Light Bringer, a Cyber Lord…"

"So I'm guessing you already know what I plan on doing to them huh?" Wyatt asked.

"Not exactly, for all I know it could be a bluff; I Generate Quick Defense and end my turn." Dylan set the cross gear into the battle zone as the orb of light materialized on his side.

Wyatt drew and set mana. " I Generate Submarine Labor and end my turn."

The two water mana formed into a shape of a large submarine that lay stationary behind Emeral and Cubela.

Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Ardent Lunatron."

Three crystals formed to make a giant fortress-like Gryphon creature. It stood not moving, waiting patiently for Wyatt's creatures to strike.

"I get it;" Wyatt said. "The strategy of your deck is Defense isn't it? Creatures such as Cyber Moons have low cost but are extremely powerful, with the sacrifice of their attack ability."

"Very observant…" Dylan commented.

"Not that defense is gonna save you completely anyway." Wyatt drew and set mana. "I summon Kolon the Oracle, tap Ardent."

Kolon materialized, and shocked the ground, paralyzing the fortress.

"Emeral, break his shields, Ike!"

Emeral used its brain power to create an orb, using it to shatter a shield.

"Nice one; Shield trigger: Aqua Surfer, return Cubela back to your hand!"

The shattered pieces glimmered for a second and turned into water; the water rose until it resembled a Wave that swept Cubela away. Surfer emerged from the wave, splashing water on Ardent to wake it up.

Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Aqua Skydiver."

The Water/Light Creature materialized, dropping from the Sky. It was a gold colored warrior with a blue visor and twin gold blades on his arms.

"Aqua Surfer, attack Emeral Ike!"

Aqua Surfer summoned another wave, sending Emeral under and out of the Battle Zone.

Wyatt drew and set mana. "I summon Malta the Oracle, and I tap Lunatron; Kolon, Break his shield Ike!"

"Skydiver Block!"

Malta materialized, resembling a dark blue ball with red markings on the face, covered in gold rods with electrical rings around it. It shot one of the said rings at Lunatron, paralyzing it, as Kolon took the opportunity to attack the shield. Aqua Skydiver leaped into the air and took the electrical bolt head on, while slashing Kolon in half, both creatures dying.

"When Skydiver's destroyed, he returns to my hand."

Wyatt snickered. "I end my turn."

Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Aqua Moonedge."

A blue warrior with crescent shaped knee guards materialized into the Battle Zone.

"And furthermore I Cross 'Quick Defense' onto him. Since he's an Accelerator, he gains +3000 and becomes a Cyber Moon, in addition to Blocker from Quick Defense."

The light orb fused with Moon Edge, making Moon Edge grow in size, to the size of Ardent Lunatron. His staff gained two Crescent-like blades and his armor turned slightly gold in certain areas from the Cross gear.

"Aqua Surfer, Break his shield!"

Surfer nodded and rode into Wyatt's shields.

Wyatt retrieved the shield and added it to his hand. "Two 5000 powered blockers and a Surfer…" Wyatt studied. He looked back into his hand and drew his next card. He set mana and tapped all six mana.

"I generate Invisible Cloak and I Cross both Submarine Labor and Invisible Cloak to Maltas. Maltas break his shield!"

Malta was armed with the submarine on it as the entire structure turned invisible, the Blockers not being able to see it attack.

Dylan retrieved his shield and added it to his hand.

"When Malta is crossed with Submarine labor, I can look at the top 4 cards of my deck, take one and send the rest to the bottom."

Wyatt drew the top four cards, picked one of them and slid the other three back to the bottom.

"I end my turn." Wyatt said.

Dylan drew his card and set it. "I summon Aqua Skydiver. And end my turn."

Aqua Skydiver materialized with its comrades as Wyatt drew his next card, surprised that Dylan didn't go in for the attack.

"In that case, I tap six mana to summon: Cubela and Corile." Wyatt said. "Corile, send Skydiver to the top of his deck."

Cubela and a Purple colored alien-like creature materialized, as it created a blue water ball, which it used to blow Skydiver away and onto the top of the deck.

"I end my turn." Wyatt confirmed.

Dylan didn't bother to add skydiver, sending the multi-colored card to mana. "I end my turn."

"Again?" Wyatt asked. "Why are you ending your turn so much?" he added mana.

"Because I wanna prove my hypothesis is all." Dylan replied. "And by the looks of it, unless it's not in your hand there's nothing holding you back are there?"

Wyatt smirked. "Got that right…" Wyatt tapped five mana and slid Malta and the cross gears attached to it onto Corile.

"With the Shining Light, and the Soothing Currents, Allow these two to bring Hope upon us: Vortex Evolution: Wise Starnoid, Avatar of Hope!"

Malta's rings aligned themselves around Corile as they covered him in a bright blue and yellow light. Once it cleared, Corile was replaced by a Silver humanoid, resembling a young prince; It had dark blue and white eyes, and two horns that sent energy to the floating orb on it's head.

Malta's body split in half, each half glowing a yellow or blue color respectively. They fused with his arms, creating gauntlets, the Yellow side attaching to his right arm, creating a Trident-like energy weapon, while the Blue Side attached to his left, making a Harpoon-like Energy weapon.

He looked at his opponents and smirked.

"The Light Bringer represents the Heart of the Starnoid, which serves as the light that will guide the world out of the darkness. The Cyber Lord represents his body, which enforces the Hope that they can achieve. Because of this, Wise Starnoid is known as the Avatar of Hope, demonstrating the bond that the Water and Light Civilizations have as they strive to achieve peace within the Creature World, giving hope to those who look forward to a peaceful future…"

"So I was right then; You did have an Avatar creature…" Dylan said. "This just got fun."

The kid duelist smirked. "For one of us anyway… Wise Starnoid, Double Break!"

The Starnoid ran, flipping over his enemies and slashing the two shields in half. The Shards fell into his hands as he smashed them together and tossed them onto his side, reforming into a Shield.

"Due to Subarime Labor still crossed, I take a card from the top 4 of my deck. And also, when Starnoid attacks or leaves the battle zone, he adds a shield on my side." Wyatt said. "I end my turn."

Dylan drew and set mana. "Well, This works." He then tapped 8 mana and looked at Starnoid. "See you later twerp. I evolve Aqua Surfer into: Crystal Zweilancer!"

Surfer stirred up a wave as the Blue Evo Crystal shot down from the sky. He jumped into the water as it froze soon after. The frozen wave snapped in a few places as it completely shattered, revealing a Gold colored Centaur covered in Ice shards.

"Zweilancer, Destroy Wise Starnoid!"

Zweilancer nodded and struck the child-like creature with a swift motion. The Evo crystals left Starnoid's body and formed into a shield.

"Moon Edge: Shield Break, Ike!"

Moon Edge followed up after Zweilancer, breaking the newly created shield.

"I end my turn."

Wyatt was disappointed that Starnoid was taken out by a lucky draw such as Zweilancer. And the shield trigger he got was useless for now. He drew and set the mana.

"I summon Nariel the Oracle; I can at least keep you from attacking me."

Three little yellow creatures aligned themselves in a triangular pattern, shooting a blue bean towards each other, generating a force field.

"Nice one." Dylan remarked. "However I know how to get passed cheap defenses like those."

He drew and tapped three mana.

"I summon Tajimal, the Aqua Vizer; And then to top it all off…

He tapped his remaining Five mana.

"I cast: Diamond Cutter. Now all my creatures can attack regardless of what's holding them back, Making Nariel's effect nullified. Zweilancer, Triple Break!"

Zweilancer charged shattering the three shields. Ardent flapped it's wings, with Moon Edge following.

"Aqua Moon Edge and Ardent Lunatron: Break his last Two shields. Tajimal, Todomeda!"

Tajimal flew over and blasted Wyatt's opened area, ending the game.

* * *

><p>Wyatt had a shocked expression on his face. "There's no way… I lost?"<p>

"Seems like it." Adrian replied.

"But how; I never lost a match in my life, this is ridiculous."

"Face it, I saw through your moves; and Starnoid helped me when he broke that shield, that's how I got Zweilancer; Thanks for showing me Wise Starnoid, I've always been a fan of it."

Wyatt glared at Dylan. "I can't believe that you broke my record…"

"Well believe it squirt." Sarina commented patting the young boy on the head. Wyatt gave her a glare, as well.

C.J. yawned and got up from the chair. "Guys I'm heading to the store, want anything?"

"Nah I'm good." Jake said, with the others nodding.

"Mind if I come with you?" Sarina asked. "I kinda need something to drink after that match that we had."

"Yeah sure, let's go then. We'll be back in a few minutes."

C.J. and Sarina then left, Nicole smirking slightly.

"So C.J. went, and Dylan went…" Jake counted. "Karon you wanna go now?"

Karon cracked his knuckles and swiped his ID card through his deck case, ejecting the deck. "Sure, I'm up for it."

"Nikki?" Wyatt snapped his fingers, knocking her out of her daydream. "You're up."

Nicole wiped her eyes and nodded. "OK, I'm ready."

The two stood across from each other and shuffled their decks. They drew their cards and set their shields.

"DUEL START!" They said in unison.

* * *

><p>"So you're really SP_Princess on TCO right?" C.J. Asked as the two walked into the deli shop.<p>

Sarina nodded. "I guess my play style gave it away huh?"

"Sort of… The fact that I drew Mezger was lucky though; I didn't expect it."

"You do realize that by admitting that, I expect a rematch." She mentioned.

"Haha, yeah right; beating you was hard enough, you expect me to do it again?"

"Yes, yes I do, to make sure it wasn't a fluke." She reached into the fridge at took a Pepsi cola from there, while C.J. took an Iced Tea Snapple drink.

They bring their drinks to the counter, coming up to $3.00.

"Oh wait, these are separate." Sarina said.

"No don't worry about it." C.J. handed the man a $5 dollar bill and C.J. took the $2.00 change. "Least I could do for giving me an awesome match."

Sarina smiled. "Well aren't you a gentlemen?"

C.J. turned a bit red as they walked out of the store. Once outside, they take a few steps and bump into a couple coming from the opposite direction. C.J. is surprised at who it is...

"Hey C.J." Jamie said.

"Uh… Hi Jamie…" C.J. began to stutter. "Are you…?"

"No I'm not mad… not anymore." Jamie assured. "But I've made up my mind about leaving KG."

"But why…?" C.J. asked.

"Because she joined my team; You must be C.J…"Drake stepped in, making C.J. freeze in place.

"It's you…"

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASHBACK]<strong>

Drake smirked. "There are times when you shouldn't worry about things like that, and should just take a chance to see what happens. Like for example… How you should've took a chance and tell Jamie about what really happened at the tournament, rather than keep it behind her back…"

C.J. gave Drake a look. "Just start your turn."

Drake nodded and drew his card; he set that very card in the mana zone and looked back at C.J.

"You should've attacked when you had the chance." He told him. Because when Jagraveen Blocks, he is destroyed after the battle. However, with you little blunder, it allows me to do this."

Drake tapped four mana and slid Jagraveen on top of Lupia.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" C.J. started to say.

"Vortex Evolution: Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"

Drake slammed the card down as his glove suddenly sparked red and black lightning. The sky turned dark as a loud screech was heard from the clouds. From there, descended a purplish Phoenix, with crimson and black wings.

"That creature…"

"Yes, it's a real flesh and blood creature: Meet the Avatar of Doom." Drake smiled evilly.

C.J. charged his glove, summoning his creatures behind him. "Some black bird isn't gonna scare me."

"Maybe this will. Death Phoenix: Destroy his shields, Ike!"

Death phoenix roared and burned two shields away, burning away, rather than regenerating into cards.

"When Death Phoenix attacks, shields go to the grave rather than your hand." Drake mentioned.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"The name's Daisuke Saito or Drake; the leader of Team Zero… Nice to meet you…" Drake turned to Sarina and smirked. "Been a while my old rival…"<p>

Sarina got a cold chill down her spine from Drake's icy stare.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you; I promise that Jamie's Dueling Status will be safe while she stays with my team; who knows, we might meet on the battlefield at some point."

"Sooner than you think…" Sarina snarled.

Drake chuckled. "Is that a challenge Sarina? Because if it is… _I won't hold back._"

C.J. stepped in front of Sarina. "You'll have to go through me first; Kettou da!" C.J.'s hand started to spark Green lightning, even though he didn't have his glove on; Sarina was surprised by the sudden appearance.

Drake smirked. "Yoshi, I accept." And his hand started to spark red and black lightning.

Sarina and Jamie got in the way of both of their companions.

"Oh, no you don't!" They oddly said at the same time.

"Come on, We gotta get back." Sarina said. "We're gonna miss the next match."

"And we have to get prepared for a tag duel later." Jamie mentioned. "Let's go."

Drake shrugged his shoulders; "Whatever you say. Until we meet again, C.J."

Jamie and Drake resumed their walk as Sarina clutched C.J.'s arm and ran as fast as possible. Jamie looked back. "They're off in a hurry."

Drake smirked. "Yeah, I guess they have something important to take care of…"

* * *

><p>After getting far enough, Sarina slowed down, breathing heavily.<p>

"What was that about…?" C.J. asked, feeling his shoulder close to dislocating.

"Sorry about that." She said. "I just freaked out a little."

"Who was that guy anyway?" C.J. asked.

"He's an old Teammate of ours; and a dangerous Kaijudo Duelist at that. And, I have the unfortunate privilege of being related to him; he's my older brother."

C.J. turned back seeing that they were nowhere in sight. "Older Brother…?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain it later. Come on, we gotta get back." Sarina said.

C.J. nodded and continued the trek. "_Just who is this guy…?_" he asked himself in his head.

[END]

* * *

><p>[Kaijudo Corner]<p>

Shuriken16: Yay chapter 5 is done. Now we've gotten 2 duels down, and next chapter will feature the Duel between Karon and Nikki. Stay Tuned.


	6. Deep Shadows of Fate: Nicole Vs Karon

"Hey C.J." Jamie said.

"Uh… Hi Jamie…" C.J. began to stutter. "Are you…?"

"No I'm not mad… not anymore." Jamie assured. "But I've made up my mind about leaving KG."

"But why…?" C.J. asked.

"Because she joined my team; You must be C.J…"Drake stepped in, making C.J. freeze in place.

"It's you…"

"The name's Daisuke Saito or Drake; the leader of Team Zero… Nice to meet you…" Drake turned to Sarina and smirked. "Been a while my old rival…"

Sarina got a cold chill down her spine from Drake's icy stare.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you; I promise that Jamie's Dueling Status will be safe while she stays with my team; who knows, we might meet on the battlefield at some point."

"Sooner than you think…" Sarina snarled.

Drake chuckled. "Is that a challenge Sarina? Because if it is… _I won't hold back._"

C.J. stepped in front of Sarina. "You'll have to go through me first; Kettou da!" C.J.'s hand started to spark Green lightning, even though he didn't have his glove on; Sarina was surprised by the sudden appearance.

Drake smirked. "Yoshi, I accept." And his hand started to spark red and black lightning.

Sarina and Jamie got in the way of both of their companions.

"Oh, no you don't!" They oddly said at the same time.

"Come on, We gotta get back." Sarina said. "We're gonna miss the next match."

"And we have to get prepared for a tag duel later." Jamie mentioned. "Let's go."

Drake shrugged his shoulders; "Whatever you say. Until we meet again, C.J…."

Jamie and Drake resumed their walk as Sarina clutched C.J.'s arm and ran as fast as possible. Jamie looked back. "They're off in a hurry."

Drake smirked. "Yeah, I guess they have something important to take care of…"

After getting far enough, Sarina slowed down, breathing heavily. "What was that about…?" C.J. asked, feeling his shoulder close to dislocating.

"Sorry about that." She said. "I just freaked out a little."

"Who was that guy anyway?" C.J. asked.

"He's an old Teammate of ours; and a dangerous Kaijudo Duelist at that. And, I have the unfortunate privilege of being related to him; he's my older brother."

C.J. turned back seeing that they were nowhere in sight. "Older Brother…?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain it later. Come on, we gotta get back." Sarina said.

C.J. nodded and continued the trek. "_Just who is this guy…?_" he asked himself in his head.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Deep Shadows of Fate: Nicole Vs Karon<p>

* * *

><p>Karon started setting water mana. "I'm starting off by summoning Aqua Guard and ending my turn."<p>

Guard materialized in the K-Terminal eager to get the ball rolling.

Nikki drew her card and set Water mana as well. "I end my turn."

Karon drew, setting Darkness mana next. " I Generate Spiral Aura."

A mystical aura-like substance generated into the battle zone next to Guard.

Nikki drew and set Darkness mana as well. "I summon: Pacific Dominator."

A Sapphire and purple colored Merfolk swam into the battle zone, wielding a Staff-like weapon.

Karon drew and set mana once again. "I summon Melnia the Aqua Shadow."

Melnia materialized, accompanying the lone Guard.

Nikki drew and set mana. "I summon Gigaslug."

The three crystals materialized, mutating into a small orange lizard, with webbed feet and its eyes distorted, the right one hanging from a stalk.

"And I'll end it there."

Karon drew and set mana. "I summon: Jenny, the Dismantling Puppet."

The four Mana Crystals materialized into a small little puppet, dressed as a young girl. She had silky white hair, and she was dressed in a red and black outfit. Her eyes were red and gold and she carried a sword, slightly resembling a guitar case.

"When jenny is put into the Battle Zone, you reveal your hand and I can discard a card from it."

Nikki snickered and revealed it.

"Full Throttle Sergeant, Miraculous Plague, and Terror Pit…" Karon looked on. "Plague to the grave." Karon ordered.

Nikki nodded and discarded the Multi-colored spell.

"Melnia, Break her shield!"

Melnia obeyed the command, sinking into the murky water under her feet. She suddenly popped up on Nikki's side, slashing a shield in half as she glided upward.

The shield shattered and Nikki picked it up. "Shield trigger: Gigabalza."

The broken shield glimmered briefly and then turned orange, reforming into a dog-like creature with fins and a pincer in its chest. Purple claws oozed from its backside as they lashed out at Karon, knocking a card out of his hand, leaving him empty.

Nikki drew and set mana. "I summon Sea mutant Dormel"

A navy blue crab-like creature with red and white feathers covering its body materialized from the mana crystals.

"I end my turn." Nikki said.

Karon drew and set the mana. "I end."

Nikki drew and set mana. "Dormel Attack Ike!"

Dormel swiped his blades together as it raced over and slashed one of Karon's shields to pieces.

"I end my turn."

Karon drew and sent the broken shield to mana. "I summon Marinomancer."

Marinomancer materialized into the Battlezone, carrying with it three colorless orbs. It threw them into the air,, two of them turning purple while the other, blue.

Karon sent the two darkness cards to his hand and sent the Spiral gate to the grave.

"I end my turn." Karon said.

* * *

><p>Wyatt sighed watching the two go back and forth. "Well compared to the other two duels, this one's pretty dull."<p>

"Hate to admit it, but I agree with the kid." Dylan said. "Karon, when is this gonna get interesting to watch?"

"Don't worry boys…" Nikki drew her card and smirked. "The party's just getting started."

* * *

><p>Karon looked at his hand, Deathliger, and Deathblood, the Shadow Mask. He looked over on Nikki's side seeing the four creatures standing side by side.<p>

"_A __blocker,__two __Merfolk __and __two __Chimeras__…"_ Karon thought to himself. "I need a plan or else I'm screwed."

"Too late for plans my friend." She set the mana and tapped all six.

"With the Violent Torrents, and the Cunning Shadows, allow these two to become one…Vortex Evolution: Cruel Naga: Avatar of Fate!"

She slid Pacific Dominator and Gigaslug together and set Cruel Naga on top of them.

Gigaslug jumped on top of dominator as it began to excrete a purple ooze around them, that hardened when it came into contact with him, resembling an Egg. The object cracked a bit eventually exploding as a silver object was ejected from the lower shell. The Silver mutant serpent descended into the Battle Zone, letting out a horrific screech that made all the creatures freeze in fear.

"The Merfolk represents the Heart of the Naga, showing its bravery and strength is to be feared. The Chimera represents the body, showing the cruel fate that awaits anyone who dares challenge her. The Cruel Naga gained the title as the Avatar of Fate, showing that through the evil bond between Water and Darkness, no one can escape her terror…" Nikki recited.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere." Wyatt said happily.

"What are we waiting for then?" Karon asked. "Let's go."

Nikki smirked. "If this was a Kaijudo Match, I don't think your words would be the same."

Karon smirked. "Wanna bet?"

"Gladly…" Nikki responded. "Cruel Naga: Double Break!"

Naga charged a ball of blue energy in its mouth and unleashed it on Karon's shields.

He took the two shields and smirked. "My turn; Shield Trigger: Death Chaser! I destroy Gigabalza."

A purple machine-like structure materialized from the shards and dove headfirst into Balza, killing the creature on impact.

"No matter."

"Never said I was done; Shield Trigger: Aqua Surfer, return Dormel!"

Surfer materialized and washed Dormel away.

"Nice moves. Nikki commented. Didn't expect that."

"I run a card shop." Karon said truthfully. "You really think that I don't have knowledge on strategies against Cruel Naga decks?"

"Touché" Nikki replied. "It's your turn sweetheart."

Karon drew. "Don't call me sweetheart." He set mana and tapped all Seven.

"I summon Deathliger, Lion of Chaos!"

Deathliger roared as it raced into the battle zone.

"Melnia, attack Naga!"

The group became shocked at his play as Melnia raced and shot through the open mouth of the naga. It shot through, slicing through guts and muscle, before Naga's body rejected Melnia, destroying it from the inside. But due to the marks made on the inside, Naga roared and exploded the blast so huge that all of the creatures were wiped out.

"What…" Jake started to say. "What the heck was the point of that? You could've at least crossed aura onto Melnia instead of summoning liger out."

Karon ignored Jake as he ended.

"That was a stupid move you realize that?" Nikki said as she drew.

"I do; all in due time."

Nikki tapped mana. "I summon Dormel and Gigaslug."

The duo materialized into the battle zone.

Karon drew and set mana.

"I summon Deathblood, the Shadow Mask and I cross Spiral Aura onto it, giving it an additional +3000."

Deathblood, a small gold colored warrior with a red blade materialized, with the spiral aura attached onto it.

"And… that's it for now." He finished.

"What's that gonna do?" Dylan wondered. "He still has to deal with the Gigaslug."

Nikki drew her card and tapped four.

"I summon Gigarayze, and I return Cruel Naga to my hand; I end"

A chimeric lizard materialized, burping up a blue and black crystal, representing Naga.

"Not gonna give you the chance to summon it." Karon drew and tapped seven mana. "Look familiar?"

"That's…"  
>"I case Miraculous Plague. I choose Dormel and Slug."<p>

Nikki sends Slug to the grave and returns Dormel.

"And then I choose Energy Stream and Fullshot seargeant, your two water mana."

And like so, Nikki sends sergeant to the grave and stream to her hand.

"Deathblood, Ike!"

Deathblood slashed the air, creating a red sonic wave that sliced through the shield.

"I end my turn."

Nikki snickered and drew her next card. She sent Naga to mana, seeing no point in having it anymore. "I end."

Karon drew and set mana. He then tapped all 8.

"Wait a sec; don't tell me he's…" Dylan started to say.

"I guess you don't know about Darkness Accelerators?" Adrian commented. Deathblood Shadow Mask is an accelerator that when crossed, gains Shadow Command as a race in addition to +3000.

"So that means that Karon intends to summon…"

"Arise the Ruler of the shadows: Ballom, Master of Death!"

Deathblood developed a dark aura around it as the aura formed into a silhouette of Ballom. The aura developed feathers around it as it began to solidify into the very creature.

"Ballom, Double Break!"

Ballom clapped his hands together and developed a ball of fire, throwing at the shields.

"Shield trigger: Emergency Typhoon." Nikki drew two cards and discarded.

"If that's all, then I end."

Nikki drew and set mana. "I evolve Rayze into Phantasmal Horror Gigazabal."

The lizard's skin grew dark and purple as it grew in size, reforming into an even worse chimeric abomination. Ballom crossed his arms and turned its head away. "Hideous."

"Gigazabal, Double break his hast two shields."

Gigazabal let out an eerie scream that shattered the last two shields.

"Karon sighed and flipped one of the shields after seeing what it was. "Aqua Surfer, return Gigazabal."

"What?" Nikki said with a shocked expression as a second surfer materialized and casted Gigazabal away.

"Shame isn't it?" Karon drew and tapped surfer.

"Break her last shield. Kage, Finish it, Todomeda!"

Surfer and Ballom combined their movements, Surfer stirring up a huge wave with Ballom accelerating it by blasting it with an energy beam. The shield broke and Surfer landed a flying kick on Nikki's open field, ending the game.

* * *

><p>"How does Karon get lucky with those Triggers?" Dylan asked.<p>

"No idea." Jake replied. "Afraid to ask to be honest with you;"

"So that's 3-0; should we continue or just stop here?" Karon asked.

"No, that's alright. There's no way we can win from this so we can leave it here." Adrian decided. "Thank you for the matches nonetheless, they were entertaining."

"Sucks I didn't get to duel…" Jake pouted.

Sarina and C.J. busted through the doors, looking like they were chased by something, Sarina having a worried look on her face.

"What happened to you two?" Jake turned.

"Guys, we got trouble; I found him." Sarina told her team, causing them all to get similar faces.

"Found who?" Dylan asked.

"The Evil Incarnate…" C.J. answered.

All eyes went to C.J. as Adrian cleared his throat. "I guess it's time to explain ourselves…"

"You sure that would be a good idea?" Nikki asked him.

"Of course I do. After all, they defeated Neo didn't they?"

Now all eyes directed towards Adrian.

"How do you…?" C.J. started.

"We know more than you know. We know about the legendary Dark Dragon known as Neo Bolshack Dragon… But we also know of its creator from 6,000 years ago…"

"Its creator…?"

On each of their shoulders materialized one of 4 Avatar Creatures.

"Allow me to explain. You see, we're Team Vortex in this world." Adrian started. "However in the Kaijin no Sekai… We're known as the Legendary Five Avatars. That guy Drake… He's the fifth, a Traitor among us; The Creator of Neo Bolshack Dragon…"

[END]


	7. Legend of the 5 Avatars

"How does Karon get lucky with those Triggers?" Dylan asked.

"No idea." Jake replied. "Afraid to ask to be honest with you;"

"So that's 3-0; should we continue or just stop here?" Karon asked.

"No, that's alright. There's no way we can win from this so we can leave it here." Adrian decided. "Thank you for the matches nonetheless, they were entertaining."

"Sucks I didn't get to duel…" Jake pouted.

Sarina and C.J. busted through the doors, looking like they were chased by something, Sarina having a worried look on her face.

"What happened to you two?" Jake turned.

"Guys, we got trouble; I found him." Sarina told her team, causing them all to get similar faces.

"Found who?" Dylan asked.

"The Evil Incarnate…" C.J. answered.

All eyes went to C.J. as Adrian cleared his throat. "I guess it's time to explain ourselves…"

"You sure that would be a good idea?" Nikki asked him.

"Of course I do. After all, they defeated Neo didn't they?"

Now all eyes directed towards Adrian.

"How do you…?" C.J. started.

"We know more than you know. We know about the legendary Dark Dragon known as Neo Bolshack Dragon… But we also know of its creator from 6,000 years ago…"

"Its creator…?"

On each of their shoulders materialized one of 4 Avatar Creatures.

"Allow me to explain. You see, we're Team Vortex in this world." Adrian started. "However in the Kaijin no Sekai… We're known as the Legendary Five Avatars. That guy Drake… He's the fifth, a Traitor among us; The Creator of Neo Bolshack Dragon…"

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Legend of the 5 Avatars<p>

* * *

><p>Tsume and the other Deck Avatar's materialized on their partner's shoulders.<p>

"_The_ Avatars?" Tsume asked surprised.

"Hey what happened to not knowing who they were?" C.J. asked the cat.

"I said it was nothing to worry over. That was my job."

Adrian smirked. "Well well if it isn't that Fear Fang from all those years back." Adrian commented. "I'm glad Elder Niofa gave the power of the Evo Crystal in capable hands."

"It's been a long Six thousand years since Neo's Defeat. So things have been pretty quiet." Tsume replied. "Wish I could say the same for Earth though."

"What do you mean?" C.J. asked.

"If I may make a suggestion…" Jake stepped in. "Let's move this conversation somewhere else. People are starting to eavesdrop."

"Good idea."

The group took their leave as they made their way outside. Finding themselves in an area in Central Park, (Its really Huge) they saw that it was quiet. Adrian continued.

"Like we said, we know about the events of the last three months; Neo Bolshack Dragon was revived shortly after its defeat when the NYC Duel Circuit took place. It was good that you defeated him when you did. Or else NYC would've been leveled considerably."

"But who's Drake exactly? You said he was a traitor."

Sarina kinda stared at the ground, which Wyatt noticed. He developed a face like he was gonna regret what he was gonna say, but he clearly had no choice.

"Drake was the Original Soul Phoenix…" Wyatt admitted.

"Centuries before Neo's Creation, when the Kaijin no Sekai was first created; the Five Civilizations were in constant war with one another." Nikki added. "Eight creatures took it upon themselves to stop the destruction, resulting in Fusion, or Vortex Evolution. Aura Pegasus, Cruel Naga, Wise Starnoid and Soul Phoenix, each brought peace amongst the Nations and peace became like a plague. The Kaijin no Sekai was finally at peace after years of war and suffering."

"However, Soul Phoenix decided upon himself to become the Leader of us all, claiming to be the more powerful among us. Problem with that was that I was chosen by the citizens to be the ruler of the Avatars. But Soul Phoenix wouldn't allow that. He defected and challenged us all in a blind fury. We were force to respond and we nearly destroyed him. He escaped without a trace, assuming he perished from his injuries." Adrian added. "We soon learned that he was providing the Darkness Civilization with test subjects for their cruel experimentations, and that he used himself to sustain his life. Thus was the birth of the Death Phoenix."

Tears fell to the ground from Sarina's face as Nikki noticed. She went over and put her arm around her as she sobbed.

"The betrayal… was really hard on Sarina. She became the 2nd Soul Phoenix after her Brother's defection. It hasn't been easy on her." Wyatt added. "And so, after finding out that Neo was resurrected, we knew that we had a link on his whereabouts. And we also assumed in this certain amount of time that he should be even more powerful than he was then. So we went with the next best thing."

"Recruit the team that defeated Neo Bolshack Dragon: Team Kaijudo Generation." Adrian finished. "However… it seems that he beat us too it."

Now C.J. became a bit down as well. "So he's the reason why Jamie quit KG… But what does he want?"

"Not sure. But if we're talking about Drake, it shouldn't be something good I know that for sure." Adrian pondered. "Despite that, while you may have won our Team Challenge, I still need to test your Strength, Jake."

Jake looked up and smiled. "Awesome, I'm ready whenever you are."

Adrian nodded, his hand sparking up. "Kettou Da!"

* * *

><p>They went over to a K-Terminal a few yards away and got started.<p>

"I'll start." Jake said as he set light mana. "I end"

Adrian drew and set Nature mana, ending as well.

Jake drew and set Nature mana and tapped both. "I generate Neo Sledgehammer."

The two crystals materialized and formed into a giant mallet with tribal markings on it like a totem pole.

"I end my turn." Jake said.

Adrian drew and set light mana. "Guess I'll Generate a gear as well. I generate Quick Defense."

The two crystals materialized and formed into the familiar aura.

Jake drew and set mana. "I summon Sanfist the Savage Vizier and end my turn."

Sanfist materialized and awaited Jake to give the signal to attack.

Adrian drew and set mana. "I summon Alyssa, the Strike Vizier."

A Bronze colored energy being materialized, with lightning spewing from its limbs connecting it to the red arms and legs around it.

Jake drew and set mana. "I Summon Bronze-arm tribe." Jake set Bronze into the battle zone and flipped the top card of his deck into his mana zone.

"Now with 2 mana left, I Cross Sledgehammer onto Sanfist; Go break his shield ike!"

Sanfist grabbed the hammer and slammed the shield into bits and pieces.

Adrian took the card. "No trigger."

"I end my turn then." Jake said.

Adrian drew and set mana. "I summon Spectral Horn Glitalis and end my turn."

A giant rainbow colored horned beast materialized next to Alyssa.

Jake drew and set mana. "I summon Urth, Purifying Elemental. Bronze-Arm Tribe, Ike!"

Urth materialized behind the charging Bronze as it speared the 2nd shield with his pick-axe.

Adrian picked the shield up and smirked. "Shield Trigger:… Heaven's Gate."

"Oh crap…!" Jake replied.

Twin Syrius Firmament Elementals rode out of the two gates that opened on Adrian's side.

"This is the real power of the Avatars…" Adrian smirked. He drew and set mana. "I generate Glorious Heaven's Arm, and cross Quick Defense onto Alyssa."

The orb of light covered her as she absorbed it, the limbs joining onto her and locking in place.

"It's a shame I could end it here and now." Adrian said. "I end my turn."

"You're not attacking?" Jake asked.

"Not yet. I wanna see how far I can push you to your limit. If this is as far as you can go, then I have my work cut out for me."

"Like hell this is as far as I can go."

"Well if that's true, then I want you to show me."

Jake drew and set mana, tapping 4 afterward. "I evolve Bronze into Storm Wrangler the Furious."

Bronze jumped into the air to catch the falling evo crystal as it evolved into a Lion-like beastman with four arms and a bright red cape.

"Then I cross the Neo Sledgehammer onto Warngler from Sanfist. Break his shield!"

Sanfist tossed the hammer over as Storm Wrangler roared. It began to run with Alyssa suddenly appearing in front of him.

"When Storm Wrangler attacks, I choose one of your blockers. That blocker must block storm and no other blockers can do so. So seeing how Quick Defense is crossed onto Alyssa, Storm forces her to block. With Neo Sledgehammer, he gains power attacker +3000, boosting him to 8000. But when he's blocked, he gains +3000 totaling 11000 power.

Storm slammed Alyssa as the armor cracked into pieces. The shockwave from the blast shattered a shield as well.

"And finally, when Storm Wrangler is blocked, it breaks one of your shields…"

"Smart move…" Adrian commented. "Quick Defense, cross onto Spectral Horn!"

"That's not all. Shield trigger: Variant Spark. I tap Sanfist."

The broken shield materializes into a small lightning bolt that shocks Sanfist paralyzed.

Jake snickers and ends his turn.

Adrian drew and set mana, tapping all six.

"Now then; it's time for me to set up your ultimate challenge. With the Strength of the Earth and the Rays of light, allow these two to become one… Vortex Evolution: Aura Pegasus, Avatar of Life!"

Spectral Horn flew around the giant Battle Ship as its power covered Syrius in gold armor. The gold covered Syrius started to rearrange joints , spewing energy streams from the top-side, creating wings. It's landing gear unfolded, rearranging itself to become hooves. Spectral horn landed at the tip of the ship, causing it to regenerate into the head of the Pegasus.

"The Shining Command represents the Heart of the Pegasus, where all sentient life is preserved and created throughout the Kaijin no Sekai. The Horned Beast represents the body of the Pegasus, which carries the burden and tries to bring justice throughout. As the Leader of the Five Avatars it's my duty to make sure all life is preserved and to not let anyone stand in my way of doing that. Aura Pegasus… Triple Break!"

Aura Pegasus whinnied and shot a bright orange colored laster from it's horn that decimated Jakes 3 shields.

"When Aura Pegasus attacks I reveal the top card of my deck. If it's a Non-Evo creature, it comes into the battle zone.

Adrian flips the card over, revealing 'Ethel Star Sea Elemental.'

And just like that the Gold Colored Shining Command materialized.

"Syrius break the last two."

Syrius locked onto its targets and unleashed its own power, decimating the remaining two.

"Next turn it's all over; That is of course if you don't activate the Triggers in your hand."

Jake looked at the five new cards and nodded. "Shield Trigger: Heaven's Gate!"

Jake's own twin Syrius materialized, surprising everyone.

"This is pushed to my limit. "Shield trigger: Natural Snare on Syrius."

The vines erupted from underground as Syrius was crushed into a mana crystal.

"Beautiful. Your turn."

Jake drew and tapped 5 mana. " Ride King of the Winds, Elupheus, Lord of Spirits!"

Light surrounded Urth as gold and blue colored armor formed around it. It merged with him, before another light generated from him. Once it died, Urth was replaced by a Gold Colored Shining Command with majestic white wings.

"Elupheus Double Break!" Jake tapped his creature, who responded by flying over the opposition and slashing the two shields with his sword-like weapon.

"Congrats… Shield trigger: Natural Snare on one of the Syrius."

Jake nodded sending one of them to mana, followed by placing his hand on the other.

"Syrius… Todomeda…"

* * *

><p>Later on that night, after parting from Team Vortex, C.J. laid in his bed, wondering about the revelations learned.<p>

"So Tsume, does this mean we have to save the world again?"

"Looks like it. You don't sound too thrilled." Tsume mentioned.

"Well…"

"Come on, it'll be fun. Just picture it: fierce action, hot girls, betrayals, sacrifice, and to top it all off: Trading Cards. It'll be like a Michael Bay Movie for Duel Masters; Trading cards and Explosions."

"I'm more worried about Jamie's safety…" C.J. thought.

"She's a tough girl." Tsume replied. "Besides, let's not assume she's in deep trouble; besides what's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

><p>Jamie and Drake walk down the dark, busy streets of Manhattan as Drake diverts into an alley way.<p>

"Over here." He motions.

Jamie had a sick feeling in her stomach ever since she agreed to this "Team Recruitment" thing that Drake wanted to do. Nonetheless she followed. He assured her that the upcoming duel that night would allow for the rewarded to get a super rare card of their choice; there was however, a "Catch" to it all.

Drake opened the door that blasted a truckload of loud techno music from the inside; causing Jamie to shield her ears almost instantly. Walking inside the backdoor of a nightclub was a bit surprising to say the least. What did Drake have in mind?

The further they went the quieter the music got. They approached a stairway as they descended down into the basement. Jamie felt a little freaked that Drake was leading her here.

"We're here finally." Drake sighed in relief.

"Um… Where are we exactly?"

"There's something that belongs to me and these guys have it. It was a Super Rare card that belonged to my father and I intend on getting it back one way or another. Unless of course, you wanna duel for it…"

"Me? Duel? Sorry dude, but I don't fight other peoples battles."

Drake chuckled. "Here; it's my Good Luck Charm." He pulls out a mysterious card and gives it to Jamie. Her hand suddenly sparked up instantly without her doing anything, surprising her.

"On second thought… Keep it. I think he found a new partner."

"It's beautiful…" Jamie gazed upon it. "This card's really hard to come by, I'm surprised that you have one."

"It's really special to me. It belonged to my father, and he passed it onto me. And the guys behind this door…They took almost everything from him…"

"I'm… Sorry to hear that." Jamie replied.

"Don't worry. We're gonna get back my Father's cards. And hopefully, recruit some while we're here. You up for the challenge?"

Jamie looked at her new card and nodded. "Let's go…"

Drake smirked. "Glad to hear it…"

[END]


	8. Rise of the Hybrids

Chapter 8: Rise of the Hybrids

* * *

><p><em><strong>[Tokyo Japan, 2011]<strong>_

Seven Fire and Nature mana tapped across the K-Terminal as the seven crystals formed into the shape of a Dragon. The dragon was a serpent-like creature with an armored torso, neon-green wings and red armored arms, the left arm covered in a Shield-like laser weapon while the right arm extended a sharp orange blade. The Dragon roared as it swarmed overhead, slashing down the opponent's creatures with ease.

The Young Dark Duelist was terrified at the huge dragon. His Avatar, Trox, General of Destruction was cut down so easily in front of him. As the Shadow command fell to the ground, his opponent smirked in pleasure.

"Bombazar, Dragon of Destiny: Double Break." He said calmly.

Bombazar roared, shattering the glass from the buildings as they rained from overhead. He shot across, slashing the two remaining shields that mixed with the broken shards.

"That's just unreal!" The teen said as he shook in fear. He was a well-known Kaijudo Duelist in Tokyo, he and his Trox. But this stranger… He didn't understand what level he was playing on. Was he an A-Rank, or an S-Rank even?"

"What's your rank?" He asked him.

The Bombazar wielder smirked and untapped his mana and his dragon.

"Hey wait a sec, it's not your turn!"

"Au Contraire my naïve victim… Bombazar Dragon of Destiny gives me an extra turn…" he smiled. "And for the record… Ranks? Give me a break; Hybrids don't need a title to tell me how strong they are. Bombazar… Destroy him."

Bombazar roared and aimed his laser at the duelist as it charged.

"Todomeda…"

Bombazar took the shot and the area was engulfed in flames as the teen flew into the air hitting the ground hard, getting knocked unconscious.

The duelist collected his card and jumped onto his dragon.

"Let's go Geno…"

Police sirens and emergency vehicles dash down the streets as the mysterious duelist looks. Bombazar growls as the police workers aim their weapons at the dragon.

The duelist sighed. "Waste of time." He snapped his fingers as Bombazar unleashed a wave of green flames out of its mouth, causing explosions across the street. This of course makes the citizens run in terror.

"Come we've had enough fun here."

Bombazar cut the flames off and agreed, ascending into the air…

**[Present Time]**

* * *

><p>"I always wondered why the cards on the ban list were banned. Bombazar did all this that one night?"<p>

"Lit the dark sky of Tokyo bright orange; that's the reason why the TCG stopped to keep things like this, from happening." Sarina typed into the TCO Chat box. She and C.J. dueled some more, C.J. actually winning in a similar fashion to the match earlier.

"Wow…" C.J. said in surprise. "And it restarted because those events finally became scare right?"

"Well there has been less and less Kaijudo Duelist so it only makes sense. It's quite rare to have a C-Rank such as yourself able to create creatures. Can you actually summon them into this world?"

"Not yet… Is that some kind of LV2 Kaijudo art or something?"

"Lol Something like that. Sorry, I got to go, Adrian needs me."

"Aww, that's no fun."

"Don't worry; we'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night."

"Ok, good night."

* * *

><p>C.J. closed the duel screen, switching over to the DCA Website, going over the Ban List again.<p>

"So each of these cards are potentially dangerous to use…" he scrolled further down reading "Hybrid Duelist" as he went down the info under it.

"Duelist who use banned cards in illegal underground Duel Circuits, these duelist are extremely powerful, rumored to wield some of the deadliest cards known in DM History; Strongly advised to avoid duels with these players."

* * *

><p>Jamie and Drake went through the door finding a completely wide open area where duelist were scattered, the yelling and the roaring of the creatures in the K-Terminals was fierce, startling Jamie a bit. Drake put his hand on her shoulder.<p>

"It's alright. They don't bite." Drake reassured. "As long as you have him, you'll do fine."

Jamie looked up and nodded.

One of the duelists looked over, growing a disgusted look. "Hey look it's that punk Drake!"

"Where's Shinji?" Drake snapped. "He owes me something and I came to get it back!"

"I don't know where he is… My memory's a bit fuzzy. Maybe if I get to show your 'friend' around, I might just remember something…" the man walked over and attempted to put his arm around Jamie, but she shoved him back.

"Back off." Drake went in front of her.

"His breath reeks of alcohol…" Jamie covered her nose.

"Well that explains it. The old fart's drunk."

"Aw come on, just five minutes; I promise to take good care of her…"

"He said back off!" a voice suddenly erupted.

The room got quiet and saw a duelist walk towards them. He was a tall Asian man, with dark hair wearing a black shirt with a jacket, split between red and green. His deck case strapped to his arm with the Cig gear and the chain helix markings on it. Flying around him was a Bombazar.

"Shinji…" Jamie then tried to think of the name and then it hit her. "Shinji Inoue… The Genocide Dragon…" Jamie stated. "The duelist who wreaked part of Tokyo four years ago…"

Shinji chuckled. "Guilty as charge… Hajimemashite…Amaterasu-Hime."(Nice to meet you… Princess/Lady Amaterasu)

"Guess my reputation precedes me, even in a place like this. What is this place anyway?"

"This is the Dragon's Den… one of the few areas where 'Hybrids' are able to duel freely without the restrictions of the DCA. Here we can use what we want, how we want… and cause as much hell as possible without damaging anything in the outside world."

"Hybrids? You mean you're recruiting Hybrids to be on your team?"

"Problem?" Drake asked innocently.

"Hell yes there's a problem! I'm a DCA Affiliated Duelist, I can't be on a team with people who can't follow something as simple as a ban list!"

"Ouch." Shinji said. "That hurt; However… I'm suddenly curious. Care to back those words up?"

"Shinji's the one who took my Father's cards away. I came for them."

"Oh yes… You mean this?" Shinji held up a red deck case and slid a card out of it, revealing it to them.

"Bajula's… Legacy?" Jamie looked on in awe. I always wanted that card!"

Shinji laughed. "OK kiddo. How about this. You get out of this match alive and it's yours, along with the rest of Drake's cards. Deal?"

"Alive…?" Jamie replayed the words in her head.

"We Hybrids are called that for a reason. We fuse the two deadliest things together. A) Banned Cards. And B) An overwhelming knowledge of Kaijudo Art strong enough to make an S-Rank bow down to us. So the choice is yours. So what's gonna be?"

Jamie looked down at her deck and stared at the card.

"She accepts." Drake spoke for her.

"Wait hold on a sec-"

"Great then it's settled." Shinji smirked. "Charlie, we're going up, clear the dance floor, we're closed for the night…"

One of the duelists nodded and ran upstairs.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the Techno-filled room, he ran up at the DJ Platform and grabbed the mike from the stand.<p>

"Yo yo yo People this is DJ CZ comin at you tonight!"

The crowd roared at the hearing of his voice.

"I'm sorry guys but yall gotta bounce for the night, closing shop early."

The crowd all simultaneously began to boo as they slowly made their way out the doors.

"Sorry about this folks, head over to the Block Rocker's Club on 20th street, Tell them DJ CZ sent you. They'll know whats going down. Have a good night."

The crowd walked out of the club as it eventually got quiet once the last guy nearly tripped out, a tad bit drunk.

Charlie reached into his pocket, pulling out a walkie talkie.

"Upstairs' clear, activating lift."

He flipped over the turntable and pressed a code in the hidden keyboard.

The doors were blocked by metal slabs, the windows covered in the same shield, as lights turned on and the floor slid open.

* * *

><p>From downstairs, the room began to shake as they started to rise from downstairs.<p>

"This is an elevator?" Jamie questioned looking up.

"Something like that." Shinji replied. "Normally Hybrids duel underground, but if necessary we go upstairs."

"Necessary?"

Shinji nodded and snapped his fingers, red and green lightning encircling his uncovered hand.

"Like I said; Hybrids gain the name by having an immense knowledge of Kaijudo Art. As you can see… I don't need a glove to generate it. We're moving upstairs to keep the underground room from caving in on us."

Jamie backed up a bit.

"No need to be scared. Since you're a beautiful young woman, I'll let you go first…" Shinji crossed his arms.

The room finally ended up at the top. Jamie and Shinji walked over to their respected sides, as individual K-Terminals rose from the floor, roughly 10 feet from each other.

Their gloves sparked up as the shields deployed on both sides.

"DUEL START!" They both called out.

* * *

><p>The Four Avatars gathered around the coffee table in the room as Adrian sat a folder down on the table.<p>

"Doing research ever since we got back, I've found this…"

Wyatt took the folder and pulled out the contents, revealing pics of different cards.

"This is the Ban list for the card game. Why is this so important?"

"There's some cards there that I think Drake's going after. Namely…"

Sarina looked on and her eyes widened. "Bajula's legacy…"

"In this world, the ban list was made so that these dangerous cards wouldn't be used in Kaijudo Duels. Bajula's legacy is restricted to only one per deck… I guess that means that it's dangerous granted it's used in a combination with something else. But Bajula's legacy was a dangerous artifact. If drake gets his hands on it…"

"There's no telling what he'll do with that kind of power." Nikki finished.

* * *

><p>Back with Jamie and Shinji, Jamie has 3 mana, while Shinji has 4, gaining one extra from faerie life. Jamie summoned Cocco Lupia last turn and Shinji summoned Gonta, the Warrior Savage to accompany his Quixotic hero Swine Snout.<p>

Jamie drew and set water mana. "I summon: Bolshack Dragon!"

The room shook as Bolshack Materialized behind her, roaring.

"I end my turn." Jamie said.

"That's pretty." Shinji drew and set nature mana. "I Generate: Bajula's Legacy."

The five mana tapped as the Dragon armor materialized behind him, being encircled by the chain helix.

Jamie got the sick feeling in her stomach as she didn't like where this was going. She had to get rid of that thing fast before it did serious damage.

"I end my turn as well."

Jamie drew her card and set mana. I summon Velyrika Dragon.

A yellow skinned dragon materialized beside Bolshack and Cocco as it roared.

"When Velyrika dragon is summoned, I can search my deck for a dragon and add it to my hand."

Jamie searches her deck and pulled out a card, shuffling her deck and putting it back on the table.

"I choose Balkerios Dragon. Now I activate Balkerios Dragon's G Zero effect. Since I have two armored dragons in the battle zone, I can summon him directly." She slides Balkerios dragon into the battle zone as the red armored indigo colored dragon materialized along with its comrades.

"Well executed; Three Powerful dragons to take down." Shinji smirked.

"Bolshack Dragon: Double Break!" Jamie tapped her card as Bolshack roared, igniting his claw and slashing the two shields.

The shields shattered past Shinji as he shielded himself. He retrieved the two cards and looked down. "Shield trigger: Natural Snare, Bolshack to mana."

The vines shot from the shield shards and crushed the exhausted Bolshack into a mana crystal as they faded out.

"I end…" Jamie said disappointed.

"That's one dragon down." Shinji drew his card and set it. " I cast: Soul Swap. I switch out Velykira Dragon for Aqua Guard."

The two cards bounced into the air and switched places, Velykira turning into a mana crystal while the sapphire crystal formed into Aqua Guard.

"And just for kicks, I'll throw in a second one. Balkerios for Cocco Lupia."

"Gotta be kidding me!" Jamie said.

Like so, Balkerios roared as it was reformatted into a second Cocco Lupia.

"Quix, Break her shield ike!"

Quixotic charged as it oinked its way through Jamie's shield.

"Gonta, Break her shield!"

Gonta let out a war cry as he jumped and spin kicked a second shield.

Jamie shielded herself from the flying shards, but smirked at the outcome.

"Shield trigger: Spiral Lance! I return Bajula's legacy back to your hand!"

Water-like lances materialized, shooting into the Cross gear, sending it back to Shinji's hand.

Drake nodded. "Looks like I made the right choice after all. This turn should finish it."

"I end my turn."

Jamie drew her card and her eyes widened. "This is…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>[Flashback]<strong>_

"There's something that belongs to me and these guys have it. It was a Super Rare card that belonged to my father and I intend on getting it back one way or another. Unless of course, you wanna duel for it…"

"Me? Duel? Sorry dude, but I don't fight other peoples battles."

Drake chuckled. "Here; it's my Good Luck Charm." He pulls out a mysterious card and gives it to Jamie. Her hand suddenly sparked up instantly without her doing anything, surprising her.

"On second thought… Keep it. I think he found a new partner."

"It's beautiful…" Jamie gazed upon it. "This card's really hard to come by, I'm surprised that you have one."

"It's really special to me. It belonged to my father, and he passed it onto me. And the guys behind this door…They took almost everything from him…"

"I'm… Sorry to hear that." Jamie replied.

"Don't worry. We're gonna get back my Father's cards. And hopefully, recruit some while we're here. You up for the challenge?"

Jamie looked at her new card and nodded. "Let's go…"

_**[****End Flashback]**_

"Use it and finish this duel Jamie." Drake said.

Jamie looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Right…"

She tapped four of her mana, as the Cocco Lupia cards began to glow.

"Roar from the Volcanic Ashes: Bolberg Cross Dragon!"

Jamie slammed the 8 mana dragon onto the K-Terminal as the golden fire ball materialized behind her.

The golden dragon had black and gold colored wings and two gold colored cannons over them. Its gold claws lit with flames as the creature roared.

"Bolberg, Double Break!"

Bolberg aimed with his cannons and shot two shields to bits as the twin Lupia zoomed afterward.

"Cocco Lupia, break his last shield. Second Lupia, Todomeda!" Jamie said as she tapped the duo.

Like so, The Cocco's finished the duel as the crowd of hybrids was shocked that the great "Shinji Inoue" was defeated so easily by this chick."

"Great duel…" Shinji commented, tossing a card over to Jamie.

Jamie looked at it and smiled.

"I know since you follow the ban list, you're only gonna use one in your deck. And I respect that. If you use that with Bolberg then you'll cause a lot of problems with your opponent I'm sure of it."

"Thanks." Jamie said.

"So how about it Shinji, You in?"

"Sure why not?" He shrugged his shoulders. "And I promise I'll reconstruct my deck for the Princess here." Shinji smirked. "After all; Using banned cards isn't a big deal, so dueling without them shouldn't be a hassle either."

Jamie nodded and looked at the two new cards. "Bolberg Cross Dragon and Bajula's legacy…"

* * *

><p>Later on that night, Shinji sat on the stage of the club, rearranging his deck, removing 2 of the remaining Bajula cross gears and his beloved Bombazar, replacing it with other cards.<p>

"You held back didn't you?" Drake's voice echoed from that darkness

Shinji stopped what he was doing and turned. "Of course I did. You honestly expect me to kill her? Come on, I'm no monster…"

"Says the one named 'Genocide Dragon.' You are truly something else."

"What can I say? After being a stupid 14 year old in japan, controlling a force that I have no idea would nearly destroy my home… I may be a hybrid duelist but I don't have that blood thirst like one."

"Interesting…" Drake said. "Guess you and Jamie should get along just fine then."

"I guess so." Shinji smirked.

* * *

><p>Sarina looked out her window at the starry sky, tears beginning to run down her face.<p>

"Brother… Father… Why?"

[END]


	9. The Sixth Avatar

Chapter 9: The Sixth Avatar

_**[Kaijin No Sekai; 6500 years ago…]**_

A barren wasteland, the result of the destruction brought upon the land as two pairs of creatures stared each other down, each having killer intentions in their eyes.

On one side stood a Ethel Star sea Elemental, along with a Roaring Great Horn, as opposed to the other side, where Terradragon Gamaritar and Buzz Betocchi stood.

"Stop this foolishness before you cause more destruction!" Ether ordered them.

Gamaritar snickered. "Ethel, you know as well as I do that I deserve the throne. I've dedicated more than any of you have in our attempts to unify the civilizations. And yet these ungrateful people don't realize it."

"Because you did it for the wrong reasons." Roaring Great Horn countered. You did it seeking power, not because you wanted to bring peace."

"Enough!" Buzz shouted. "We're tired of being misjudged by you old piles of trash."

"Let's kill them." Gamaritar suggested. Buzz Nodded.

"Vortex Evolution!" Gamaritar and Buzz harmonized as they each glowed a specified color. The two light beams shot up into the air as Soul phoenix came roaring down to the earth.

Ethel and Roaring Great Horn evaded the attack as their bodies began to glow as well.

"Vortex Evolution!" they harmonized as they fused into Aura Pegasus.

The two flew up into the air as they clashed back and forth, Soul Phoenix relentlessly charging in, with Aura Pegasus dodging the blind fury with ease.

"Now… It's my turn." Aura Pegasus said. He quickly shot towards Soul Phoenix and tackled it.

"There's a reason why I was chosen to be leader and you weren't."

A creature materialized on Aura Pegasus' back. It jumped off and hit Soul Phoenix as Aura tackled once again. Afterward another creature materialized and repeated the same move.

"I can reach out to the hearts of the creatures of this world. I have the ability to secure everyone's lives!"

Aura's movements became faster and harder, as Soul Phoenix had little time to react as he was pummeled down to the earth. The weakened Phoenix looked up seeing Aura Pegasus and the army of creatures behind him.

"That's why I'm the Leader and you're not."

"Why you…" Soul Phoenix roared and charged once again.

Aura Pegasus charged as well, along with the legion of creatures behind him.

Soul Phoenix was swallowed by the never-ending crowd as the bodies of Gamaritar and Buzz dropped to the ground, left for dead.

Aura Pegasus reverted to its regular forms as the duo looked on with a displeased manner.

"It pains me that it had to come to this." Roaring Great Horn said honestly.

"As do I; however, he made his decision. And he faced the consequences…" Ethel turned back. "Let us return."

The duo then left the scene as a group of Darkness creatures materialized, taking their lifeless bodies and disappearing soon after…

* * *

><p><em><strong>[Present time]<strong>_

Team Vortex and Team KG meet together in one of the upper levels of the Manhattan Mall, to the food court.

Adrian pulled out a familiar folder and opened it showing specific cards in it.

"Bajula's legacy, Bombazar Dragon of destiny…" C.J. noticed those two. "These are banned cards."

Adrian nodded. "We're thinking that Drake's after them. The question is… what for?"

"You think he's recruiting Hybrids?" Jake mentioned.

"Hybrids…?" C.J. asked. "The duelist who use banned cards right?"

"That's one of the things we thought of." Wyatt replied. "Doing a bit of snooping, I heard rumors of a 'Princess,' taming a 'Genocidal Dragon' two nights ago."

"Genocidal Dragon…" Karon thought. "That must be Shinji Inoue, the Legendary 'Genocide Dragon' of Tokyo. So I'm guessing Jamie beat him in a duel. Can't say I'm surprised but…"

"Shinji was known as the one who leveled an area of Tokyo four years ago right?" Dylan questioned. "If that's the case, then Drake's either taking the cards, or recruiting the Duelist themselves."

"Either way, it's not good." Adrian pointed out. "Knowing him, he's a power hungry monster. At any rate, we need to stop him before he gets his hands on anything else destructive."

"How you suppose we do that?" Sarina spoke up a bit disrespectfully.

Adrian ignored her and went on with his plan. "I've decided that our teams will divide into pairs of two. One person from Team Vortex, and one member from KG; we know from personal experience how to battle against Drake and whatever his team may have in store.

Sarina suddenly stood up suddenly.

"Something the matter?" Nikki asked.

"I'm going back to the hotel." She replied. "I can't take listening to this conversation anymore."

Adrian sighed. "Sarina, you need to understand how important this matter is. Sit down so we can continue."

"Continue what? Continue to criticize my family?" She snapped. "What's next? Are you going to say that my Father was so weak that he couldn't stop Drake when he first decided to snap?"

Adrian shot up just as fast. "Get a hold of yourself!" he shouted.

Hundreds of eyes turned towards their table as Wyatt felt the need to make a smart remark. "Nice going big mouth."

Sarina glared at him, with Wyatt realizing that she wasn't joking around like normal. "Sorry…"

"Forget this. You guys stop Drake on your own." Sarina then ran off.

"Wait a sec!"

C.J. got up and went after her. "I'll get her, don't worry."

Karon cross his arms. "First Jamie, now Sarina. If our lives really are like an anime, then C.J. shouldn't have any trouble getting a Girlfriend if he's gonna keep volunteering to play the hero."

* * *

><p>"Rise through the Volcanic Ash: Bolberg Cross Dragon!" Jamie slammed her new Ace on the K-Terminal as the mini projectors behind her summoned the Gold dragon in a smaller human sized form. It flew up as high as it could as it roared, the crowd from the 3rd story balcony down cheering her on.<p>

"And Team Zero's Jamie Martin has summoned her new Ace, the Legendary Bolberg Cross Dragon!" D-Max announced. "Now then, what's her opponent going to do?"

Jamie's opponent was another female duelist, roughly in her late teens maybe about 18. She was light skinned wearing a black shirt and a yellow jacket. She also wore small lightning-shaped earrings and black leather boots. Her dark eyes looked confident in her chances of winning. Jamie had no shields left whereas she had 3. Not only that, but despite Bolberg's speed attacker, even equipped with the Bajula Legacy that Jamie generated, there would still be a power disadvantage on her part. The reason for that was for the Duelist's Dragon Blocker: Sasha, Channeler of Suns. Whenever it battles a dragon, it's power spikes up to 15,500.

"This duel's as good as mine." The duelist spoke confidently.

"You sure about that?" Jamie said. "Take a closer look at the field."

Her opponent did seeing that Jamie had 4 mana left.

"What's your point?"

Jamie smiled. "I guess you don't realize that the two cocco Lupia I have reduced Bolberg's cost by half did you; which means that I can use this card to finish you off."

Jamie tapped two mana, and her opponent realized what she was getting at.

"I Generate: Invisible Suit!" Jamie said as the cloak materialized next to the Helix Chain.

"When the crossed creature attacks, it can't be blocked." Jamie smiled. "Not only that, but Cross Gears can be set onto Bolberg without cost. Bajula's Legacy, Invisible Suit, cross onto Bolberg Cross Dragon!"

She slid both gears under her creature as the cloak attached to its back and the Chain Helix began to rotate around him.

"There's no way that Sasha can block this. Bolberg, Triple Break!"

Bolberg roared and teleported. The duelist felt the strong pressure as the three holograms shattered into pieces, none triggering.

"Cocco Lupia, Todomeda!" Jamie tapped the Fire Bird, ending the duel."

* * *

><p>"And Team Zero Wins the Kaijudo Showdown tournament!" D-Max said happily as the audience cheered.<p>

* * *

><p>Sarina watched as Jamie celebrated with Drake and Shinji, seeing their smiles on their faces at Jamie's win.<p>

"How…" She whispered to herself. "How can you be deceived so easily…?"

* * *

><p>The duelist walked towards Jamie with a smirk. "A deal's a deal. I'll join your team."<p>

Jamie smiled. "Really? That's so great!"

Shinji snickered, turning his head in disgust. "I don't see why you want _her_ of all people on our team, Drake."

Drake gave a smirk. "Riley Stewart: the Dragon Slayer. You're reputation precedes you. It seems though that there are some dragons that you can't cut down."

On Riley's shoulder, a yellow and purple data stream formed, turning into a floating armor-like structure. The bottom half of the creature looked like a saucer-like object, while the top half was azure-blue and red armor with gold engravings at the joints and arms. His chest armor housed a reddish-orange eye and his golden horned helmet held a slue skeletal-like face with eyes of a similar orange. Gripped tightly in his right hand was a gold hilted blade, matching his armor.

"Not yet anyway…" the Creature spoke.

"Now now, Ace, no need to start trouble with our new teammates." Riley told the Auzesu on her Shoulder.

"Auzesu, the Celestial Shadow!" Drake said impressed. "It's an honor to meet you."

Auzesu bowed. "Same to you; Please treat Riley well."

"No worries." Drake smiled. Jamie smiled as well and her attention darted to Shinji, still with the smug look on his face. She elbowed him and he forced a fake smile.

"You have our word." He forced himself to say.

"Let's get out of here, so we can get to know you OK?" Drake suggested.

"You guys go on, I'm gonna do some shopping before I go home." Jamie said as she pointed to the various levels of the mall.

Drake sighed. "Well alright then, you deserve it."

Jamie smiled and hugged Drake. "Thanks; see you guys later!" Jamie sped off afterward.

"Is she your Girlfriend?" Riley was motivated to ask.

Drake smirked. "I don't know. Guess so."

Riley and Shinji gave him confused looks by that comment.

"But one thing's for sure_… __She __is __mine, __and __no __one __else__'__s.__" _he said to himself.

Jamie made up to the second floor of the mall joyously humming to her Ipod, excited over her win. She suddenly stopped, getting a strong sense of something nearby, like a power source; but a familiar one, something that she was accustomed to.

"Kaijudo…" she whispered to herself. She took her headphones out and turned around, seeing Sarina, her bare hand, sparking red and green electricity.

"Aren't you…" Jamie started to say.

* * *

><p><strong>[Flashback]<strong>

"The name's Daisuke Saito or Drake; the leader of Team Zero… Nice to meet you…" Drake turned to Sarina and smirked. "Been a while my old rival…"

Sarina got a cold chill down her spine from Drake's icy stare.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you; I promise that Jamie's Dueling Status will be safe while she stays with my team; who knows, we might meet on the battlefield at some point."

"Sooner than you think…" Sarina snarled.

Drake chuckled. "Is that a challenge Sarina? Because if it is… _I won't hold back._"

C.J. stepped in front of Sarina. "You'll have to go through me first; Kettou da!" C.J.'s hand started to spark Green lightning, even though he didn't have his glove on; Sarina was surprised by the sudden appearance.

Drake smirked. "Yoshi, I accept." And his hand started to spark red and black lightning.

Sarina and Jamie got in the way of both of their companions.

"Oh, no you don't!" They oddly said at the same time.

"Come on, We gotta get back." Sarina said. "We're gonna miss the next match."

"And we have to get prepared for a tag duel later." Jamie mentioned. "Let's go."

Drake shrugged his shoulders; "Whatever you say. Until we meet again, C.J."

Jamie and Drake resumed their walk as Sarina clutched C.J.'s arm and ran as fast as possible. Jamie looked back. "They're off in a hurry."

Drake smirked. "Yeah, I guess they have something important to take care of…"

**[End Flashback]**

* * *

><p>"You're that girl from before." Jamie said.<p>

"You…" Sarina snarled. "Why are you with Drake?"

Jamie was caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why are you siding with him? What did that psychotic freak do to get you to join up with him? What _lie_ did my brother tell you to make you become part of his team? " Sarina snapped.

Jamie now felt offended. "I suggest you take that back. Drake has done nothing wrong to me. Brother or not what you're saying about him is going way overboard."

"Like hell it is. After what he put me through…" the Lightning around her hand got more vibrant, jumping off her hand and sparking up the floor under her.

"Tell me what he's planning on doing." Sarina demanded. "Why is he building a team of some of the strongest duelist in the city? How much destruction is he willing to cause before he kills everyone in this world?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jamie screamed, her hand erupting with the red lightning. "I've heard enough…"

People on the floor, started to back up from the two girls as more sparks hit the floor.

"Drake's not lying to me…" Jamie told her. "He told me everything. The Avatars, the recruitment, the cards that belonged to his father… he told me that he needs my help… to keep KG and Vortex for enslaving the human race!" Jamie shouted back, her anger being shown in her fist.

"Are you kidding me…?" Sarina asked her. "Why are you defending him…?"

"I'm not defending him…" Jamie hissed.

"Open your eyes. Drake's manipulating you like Neo Bolshack dragon did."

"SHUT UP!" Jamie's hand lit up further as the ground under her cracked. Suddenly Bolshack Dragon and Totto Pippichi materialized behind her.

Bolshack Dragon roared, shattering the storefront windows as Sarina shielded herself from the sound waves.

"In that case… I'll just have to knock some sense into you!" Sarina retorted. Her hand lit up further, summoning Cocco Lupia and Terradragon Regarion behind her.

"Vortex Evolution…" Sarina said calmly.

The duo creatures reacted, fusing together into Soul Phoenix.

"Now then…" Sarina and Soul Phoenix's voice harmonized. "Feel the Wrath of the Avatar of Unity…"

Soul Phoenix screeched and charged the Bolshack Dragon without hesitation.

Jamie glared at the monster and held her hand out.

Bolshack Dragon stopped the charging phoenix with one claw, mimicking Jamie's movements.

"I-Impossible!" Sarina said surprised.

"Rest in eternal slumber…" Jamie said as she pulled a card from her pocket. "Vortex Evoltuion…"

Sarina froze in fear as she looked at Bolshack Dragon and Totto Pippichi glow bright red. The two creatures fused, as flames shot across the balcony and into the open roof top.

A low pitched screech was heard, that just instilled more fear in Sarina, dumbfounded by what it was.

"There's no way…"

The Phoenix was a Crimson red color with six bright golden-orange wings and 4 swords, one on each talon on it. Its feathers of fire molted off but sizzled before hitting the broken concrete, as the crimson Evo Crystals encircled it overhead.

Sarina backed up, clearly afraid of the bird. "It can't be… Father…"

"Blaze Phoenix, Avatar of Eternity…" Jamie looked dead at Sarina with a killer intent. "Finish her…"

The Phoenix obeyed, screeching and ramming its four blades in soul phoenix, causing the creature to explode. Sarina gasped and grunted in pain as Soul Phoenix dropped behind her. She fell to her knees, and looked up as Blaze phoenix hovered above with Jamie on it's shoulder.

"Die…" Jamie said.

Blaze Phoenix opened its beak, the heat inside building up as Sarina's tears evaporated from it's heat.

"Damn… Damn… Dammit!" She screamed.

Blaze phoenix unleashed its built power, but it bounced and shot towards the air, surprising them.

"Not a chance…" Tsume's voice said as the giant Fighter Dual Fang stood in front of Sarina, clearly known that he blocked the attack.

"Tsume…?" Jamie realized. She looked at his shoulder and saw C.J. standing there as well, across from her.

"Call off your creature." C.J. said.

"This isn't any of your business C.J." Jamie replied.

"I beg to differ…" He said back, his demeanor not changing. "You attacked my friends; you're siding with our enemy… This is my business. Call off your creature; Or I'll _force_ you to."

Jamie now felt a little freaked out. Was this the same C.J. that she knew for the last four months, the one who she taught how to play Duel Masters? The one risked his life to save her? The one who confessed his feelings to her?

"Would you…" Jamie bit her tongue.

C.J. hesitated.

"Would you really hurt the one you love?" Jamie said, her face red and teary eyed.

C.J. looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. His eyes began to tear up as well. "If it means stopping Drake… If it means saving our world… _I'll Obliterate you!_"

Jamie's heart skipped a beat as the words traveled towards her. The creatures disappeared as the two of them dropped to the ground.

"I understand…" Jamie replied, tears dropping to the ground. "If that's the case… I'll make sure I destroy you first." Jamie told him.

She turned around and walked away as emergency workers raced inside the mall to gather anyone injured from the encounter.

"Jamie…" C.J. said to himself.

"That… You summoned a real creature just now didn't you?" Sarina asked, still weak.

C.J. looked down, realizing his hand was sparking violently without his glove on.

"Holy crap…" C.J. felt lightheaded and suddenly collapsed on the ground near Sarina, who also ended up passing out. Emergency workers who made it upstairs gathered them as well as they were taken to the hospital.

* * *

><p>Outside, Adrian and the others watched as both C.J. and Sarina were wheeled into Ambulances as the crowd watched the burning roof of the Mall be put out by firefighters.<p>

"You know what this means right?" Wyatt asked.

Adrian nodded. "We're going to war…"

[END]


	10. My Hero

Chapter 10: My Hero

C.J. looked into the window of Sarina's hospital room with an uncomfortable expression on his face, the moments of the two hours prior fresh in his mind…

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASHBACK] <strong>

"Call off your creature." C.J. said.

"This isn't any of your business C.J." Jamie replied.

"I beg to differ…" He said back, his demeanor not changing. "You attacked my friends; you're siding with our enemy… This is my business. Call off your creature; Or I'll _force_ you to."

Jamie now felt a little freaked out. Was this the same C.J. that she knew for the last four months, the one who she taught how to play Duel Masters? The one risked his life to save her? The one who confessed his feelings to her?

"Would you…" Jamie bit her tongue.

C.J. hesitated.

"Would you really hurt the one you love?" Jamie said, her face red and teary eyed.

C.J. looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. His eyes began to tear up as well. "If it means stopping Drake… If it means saving our world… _I'll Obliterate you!_"

Jamie's heart skipped a beat as the words traveled towards her. The creatures disappeared as the two of them dropped to the ground.

"I understand…" Jamie replied, tears dropping to the ground. "If that's the case… I'll make sure I destroy you first." Jamie told him.

She turned around and walked away as emergency workers raced inside the mall to gather anyone injured from the encounter.

"Jamie…" C.J. said to himself.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"It's my fault that she's like this… I'm sorry Sarina."<p>

"C.J., Group meeting." Jake called a few feet away.

C.J. looked up and nodded slightly. "Right…"

The duo then walked, C.J. taking a final glance at Sarina's room before moving on.

* * *

><p>Joining the others, Adrian paces around the quiet area, putting various hypothesis together in his head. "It doesn't make sense to me at all." He admitted. "At first, we thought that he was going after the cards that are considered banned in the game itself, like Bombazar and Bajula's legacy. Now instead of doing that, he's making a Team of strong duelist, one of them being Team KG's Fire Duelist, Jamie Martin. However the biggest twist was realizing that she has Blaze Phoenix…"<p>

"Are you done talking to yourself?" Nikki asked playfully.

"Sorry." He apologized. "It's just that… Drake's motives are all over the place. It's like every time we get a hint of what he's doing, it suddenly goes in an entirely new direction. It makes absolute no sense."

"Um…" C.J. raises his hand. "If I may ask a question; what is Blaze Phoenix, I thought there were only Five Avatars in existence."

Adrian turned to the rest of the group who waited patiently for an explanation. "He's… the Sixth Avatar; more specifically the Father of Drake and Sarina."

Team KG froze in shock as the other members of Team Vortex felt sick to their stomachs, just thinking about it.

"Legend has it that The King of the Fire Civilization, Uberdragon Bajula, met its fate at the hands of Lady Alcadeias of the Light Civilization… That couldn't have been farther from the truth." Adrian revealed.

"In reality, Bajula and a Fire Bird Vortex Evolved into Blaze Phoenix and defeated the light forces. It took 500 years, but after we seemingly thought that the Traitorous Soul Phoenix was dead, he came back; As Death Phoenix. In a one-sided match, Death Phoenix brutally destroyed Blaze Phoenix, but saved its body as a vessel. He intended to use it as a tool of destruction and use it to wipe out the other civilizations. It was then he gained a new idea concerning some old acquaintances and a certain Prince… I figure you know the rest."

"And that's where we come in…" A familiar voice said as the group heard footsteps behind them.

They spun around, with Adrian nodded in satisfaction. "About time you showed up."

"Luke!" C.J. recognized.

"What's up Hero?" Luke waved, with the other 4 members of Team Neo standing behind him. "Where's my favorite hothead at?"

Cindy elbowed the treasure hunter in his side, to which she received an annoyed glare.

"It was a joke, relax."

"What's Team Neo Doing here?" Dylan asked.

"We called them here." Wyatt replied, sipping his Sprite bottle. "After all, they're a part of this as much as you are."

"Mind filling them in on how you came into contact with Drake?" Adrian asked Luke.

He nodded and thought back to the months prior. "It was six months ago. Trey was invited to a tournament out of the country so he left us for a bit. Soon after that, Drake approached us with a way to not only get points for the tournament, but also have enough strength to win in it. The 'Neo Waves' that transformed our creatures, he provided the tech to make it happen. Fact of the matter was that he planned on taking over Earth by resurrecting his Pet Dragon, Neo. At the time, we didn't know but we had our suspicions. We played along because well, it sure enough guaranteed us an added boost to our team's power. The only thing that was necessary was a Bolshack Dragon card. Ironically enough, the very Prince himself: Blaze."

"So that means that Jamie's been his target all this time?" C.J. asked.

"Well technically, Bolshack Dragon was the target. However, Drake's plan had a major setback that he needed to fix quickly: That setback was the existence of Tsume."

"Who said my name?" Tsume materialized and saw Team Neo standing across from them.

"Drake figured that if that very Fighter Dual Fang messed up his takeover plans 6,000 years ago, then sure enough he could do it in 2015." Luke continued. "So after our confrontation, he came up with a Plan B. It took a little time, but he did it. When Neo was destroyed, the card must've had some kind of energy residue lingering on it. Drake used that to his advantage and manipulated that residue, turning himself into a 'Puppet Master' of sorts. In a similar fashion that Neo had control over Cindy Drake controlled Jamie's mind; And as payback for our 'Betrayal'…

* * *

><p><strong>[Flashback]<strong>

"I use the spell: Furious Onslaught. All of my Dragonoid become Armored Dragons and gain +4000 and double breaker. And with four more mana, I evolve Braid Claw into Uberdragon Baham!

Braid claw roared its war cry as the Evo crystal turned into gold plated armor. It crashed onto it as it evolved into a Sword Wielding Dragon, with Dragon-shaped shoulder pads shooting Fire out of the mouths.

"Baham has Crew breaker Dragonoid, allowing me to break an extra shield for each other Dragonoid I have. But since you only have one shield, he'll break that one."

Baham roared and slashed through the final shield.

"Now Heavyweight Todo-

Shield trigger: Terror pit." Jamie said.

And Terror pit ate Heavyweight. "What the…" Cindy tried to piece together.

"AMAZING!" D-MAX exclaimed. "Every one of Jamie's Shields triggered! It seems to be such a rare occasion that _all Five_Shields are triggers!"

"How the…?"

"No I didn't cheat." Jamie replied before Cindy could finish her sentence. I just simply made this deck _specifically to kill you…_" Jamie's voice suddenly shifted to a deeper darker version of her own, which reminded Cindy of Neo.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"He tried to destroy us. But of course, since you're the Hero, we defeated Neo Bolshack Dragon. Unfortunately, Drake's plans kept falling into place." Luke finished.<p>

"Falling into place?" C.J. asked. "Don't tell me…"

* * *

><p><strong>[Flashback]<strong>

"I'm sorry…" C.J. said.

She looked down towards the ground and said something under her breath as the tears fell.

"I hate you guys…" Jamie said louder.

"I know…" C.J. replied, feeling guilty. He attempted to put his hand on her shoulder, but she swatted him away like nothing.

"Get the hell away from me…" She hissed all of the sudden. "I can't stand being on a team where I'm lied to every second I'm there."

"But-

"What, are you gonna tell me something else that you lied about?" Jamie asked him. "Is it that Cindy 'let me win' that match; or how about Luke took my _other_Bolshack Dragon, because frankly, I seemed to have lost it back in the tournament when I was under 'mind control'."

"What's your problem? You told me to tell you what happened so I did." C.J. retorted.

"It's the fact you lied to me!" Jamie shouted. "Not just you; all of you guys; for what? Did you think you were going to protect me?"

C.J. couldn't take this anymore. "Jamie, just get to the point, what are you trying to say?"

Jamie balled her fist up. "I'm Quitting KG; that's my point."

C.J.'s heart skipped a beat. "What did you say…?"

"I can't be on a team where I'm lied to all of the time. My days with Team KG are done with, go find another gullible girl for you to deceive, because I've had it."

Jamie turned and stormed off farther down the street as C.J. watched.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>Luke gave C.J. a suspicious look. "What did you do exactly?"<p>

"I told her the truth about what happened back then; she quit because of me. She's with Drake because of me…" C.J. looked down at the ground tears dropping.

Luke sucked his teeth. "Pretty sure that was the opening he was looking for."

"And to add on to this mess, what you said earlier about Jamie telling Sarina a reversed story of ours."

"Yeah well, Drake's a real manipulator." Trey spoke up. "He's like Sousuke Aizen from Bleach."

"How many anime does that make that our lives are based on?" Jake curiously asked.

"Five, but that's not important in this situation." Karon replied.

"So I guess we figured out Drake's plan then. Complete and total rule over both Earth and the Kaijin no Sekai." Adrian said.

"Seems like it." Luke crossed his arms. "So then, there's only one thing left to decide…"

"When does Training begin?" Sarina's voice asked a few feet from the group.

The group all looked at the slightly weakened Teen as she slowly walked up to the group.

"You shouldn't be out of bed!" Adrian told her.

"I don't care!" She retorted. "If anyone's going to stop my brother it's going to be me!" she grunted and clutched her side.

"You're in no condition to fight. I want you to sit this one out."

"Are you nuts? You know as well as I do that it's my responsibility to do it…"

"No, it's all of our responsibility. I refuse to let you carry this burden on your shoulders alone."

"Well then deal with it." Sarina glared. "If you have a problem with that…" Sarina's hand sparked up. "I'll settle it here and now."

"Don't kid yourself." Adrian's hand sparked. "You're too weak to stand on your own feet, let alone Kaijudo Duel."

Sarina grunted because Adrian had a point in that matter. Her hand calmed down and she dropped to one knee, Brian and Megan both helped her up.

"We start training first thing in the morning." Adrian told her. "I expect you to give C.J. Hell."

Sarina smirked. "Understood."

C.J. then suddenly started walking to the elevator.

"Hey wait, where are you going?" Jake asked.

"I'm getting Jamie back." He replied without hesitation.

"Do you at least have a plan?" Tsume asked him, concerned

"Gonna run in, kick butt and run out."

"Your plans suck!" Tsume replied. "Can't you just run in without a plan?"

"That's Plan B."

The elevator door opened.

"Hold up a second!" Sarina said. she untangled herself from The siblings and limped over to C.J. "I'm coming with you."

Luke facepalmed himself; "My god that girl's persistent."

"SARINA!" Adrian yelled at her.

Sarina and C.J. walked into the elevator and Sarina gave him a slight nod.

Nikki put her hand on his shoulder as the door closed. "They'll be fine. Trust her."

* * *

><p>The elevator slowly descended as C.J. looked at Sarina. "So what do you think we should do?"<p>

Sarina chuckled. "Well I'll tell you what we're not doing." She suddenly spun and socked C.J. in the stomach, causing him to black out.

C.J. hit the floor the second the elevator hit the lobby. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and dragged the teen out of the elevator.

"We're not going after my brother just yet. At our current condition we're better off dead."

* * *

><p>Back at Team Zero's Base, (The Dragon's Den) Shinji and Riley are seen dueling, Shinji having that itch to slay the Slayer, and Riley's amusement of fueling the fire.<p>

Drake watches from the balcony of the room, smirking. "Just need one more member and then my team will be ready."

Jamie suddenly walked in, in the same discomforted disposition as she was earlier.

"Hey there sunshine." Drake smiled as he saw Jamie walk in.

Jamie didn't reply as she kept walking.

"Uh… Jay?" Drake called again. He jumped from the balcony.

"Jamie!"

Jamie stopped in her tracks.

"How was shopping?" Drake playfully asked.

"What's going on?" Jamie answered with another question.

"What do you mean?" Drake mimicked.

"I mean what's really going on." Jamie answered. "What's the real story with all of this? Why are my friends helping our enemy? I'm so confused I don't know what's right or wrong anymore!"

Drake as taken aback. "Jamie…"

"TELL ME THE TRUTH!" She screamed. Her shout interrupted Riley's and Shinji's duel.

"Girl got a pair of lungs on her doesn't she?" Riley asked, with Shinji nodding in agreement.

Drake smirked. "I see. My sister has gotten to you hasn't she? She told you that I've been lying to you about all of this, hasn't she?"

Jamie froze. "How…"

Drake laughed. "You seem to forget. I'm an Avatar as well; Or to be more specific… an Ex-Avatar. I refuse to be grouped with those Curs who've took _everything_ from me. My title, My father… My one shot at unifying our world. But all of that will change in a matter of days. After all, the Eternity Avatar, was named so for his Eternal lust for battle. The one creature strong enough to destroy the avatars themselves. Now that power… is yours to wield, Jamie.

Jamie's eyes widened as her deck case glowed. Suddenly Blaze Phoenix materialized on her shoulder and screeched.

"Become my Avatar Hunter, Jamie… Kill them all and don't leave a single one alive…" Drake said with killer intent.

Jamie felt the fear get to her but she nodded. "I understand."

Drake smiled. "Great, glad that's settled; Now then… We're missing a member…"

* * *

><p>C.J. wakes up in his room, feeling the numbness in his stomach still.<p>

"Was that a dream? Couldn't have… And why does my stomach hurt so much?"

"Cuz Sarina socked you when you weren't looking." Tsume replied yawning .

"Why'd she do that?"

"To keep from getting yourself killed, idiot." She replied, sitting in his desk chair.

C.J. jumped almost instantly. "What the hell are you doing here? I'm my room no less?"

"She brought you here doofus." Tsume said. "To keep you from going up against Drake…"

"Drake will all-out murder you If you try to go against him in your current state. As of now, you're in no condition to fight."

"Well I could say the same of you." C.J. shot back.

Sarina looked down at the wooden floor.

"I'll save him." C.J. said calmly.

Sarina's head darted up. "What…?"

"I'll save Drake." C.J. said again. "I can tell, you don't want him to die again. So in that case… I'll save him."

Sarina looked at C.J. realizing his seriousness.

"Of course… I'll need your help." He added.

"Are…"

"Am I what?"

"Jeez, you're such an idiot." Sarina admitted. "How do you think you can save Drake?"

"How did you think you were going to save Jamie?"

Sarina caught herself with that comment.

"My point exactly…" C.J. said. "No plan. At least not yet; on that note, let's go to bed and start training first thing in the morning. You can have the guest room upstairs.

Sarina felt tears slowly leak from her eyes. She got up and walked towards the door.

As she went to grab the nob, she hesitated. "C.J."

"Yes, what's u-

"_You're the first person I've ever met… who's willing to risk their lives to save my brother. You're my only hope to seal this despair in my heart. _Tears dropped on C.J.'s lap as Sarina's lips gently pressed against his.

C.J. felt the urge to push her back, but couldn't bring himself to do it, so he accepted it without resistance.

_You…You're My Hero C.J…. Thank you."_

[END]


	11. CJ's Secret

After another few seconds of C.J. and Sarina making out in front of him, Tsume cleared his throat. "Despite the fact that this will be a moment, I'll _never_ let you live down, isn't it time to get to bed?"

The two teens realized this and quickly broke away, both feverishly red, quickly turning their backs towards each other.

"I'm sorry…" Sarina apologized. "I kinda acted on impulse. I didn't mean to…"

C.J. nodded. "I completely understand, don't worry about it, it happens."

Sarina nodded as well. "See you in the morning." Sarina sped off out the room the door closing behind her.

C.J. turned to Tsume, who had his four arms crossed. "I'm telling Jamie."

"I don't wanna hear it you troll-faced cat." C.J. snapped. He then cut the lights out and slipped under the covers.

"Just answer this for me." Tsume said.

"What?" C.J. asked annoyed.

"How exactly do you plan on saving him?" Tsume turned.

"I don't know… I just acted on impulse. But you know me… I never break a promise…"

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: C.J.'s Secret<p>

* * *

><p>"Rise and Shine, Maggot!" Sarina nearly kicked C.J.'s door down, causing the teen to jump out his skin.<p>

C.J. looked at his clock. "What gives, its 5 in the morning!"

"Time to train;" Sarina smiled. "Now come on, get changed and meet me in the backyard in 10 minutes."

"You're kidding right?" C.J. glared.

"Nope, not a bit; Now up and at 'em, got a long morning ahead of us."

Sarina walked out of the teen's room an evil little smile going across her face.

"So this is what Adrian meant when he told her to give me hell."

Tsume materialized and yawn. "Dude, your Wife doesn't believe in sleep does she?"

"Can you just drop it already?"

* * *

><p>Like he was ordered to, C.J. got up and made it outside, only to find Sarina nodding off on the lounge chair.<p>

"Hey up and at 'em." C.J. yelled, causing Sarina to jump.

"I wasn't sleeping." She told him.

"Right, of course you weren't." C.J. replied. "Anyway, what are we doing that I had to wake up so early?"

"Training;" Sarina replied. "For Starters, I want you to demonstrate how much you know concerning Kaijudo Art."

"Demonstrate how much I know?"

"You summoned Fighter Dual Fang into this world yesterday. I want you to do it again; _without_ you glove on."

"Without it…?" C.J. looked at his palm and closed his eyes. He imagined the Green Tornado, similar to when Trey taught him. He walked towards it, but the second he stepped in, the winds assaulted him, spitting him out.

"What the…?" C.J. opened his eyes, and his hand started to sting. He shook his hand to get rid of the stinging.

"Well?"

"I couldn't access it." He said.

"Those Dueling Gloves, They're made for dueling with the K-Terminals. Of course Duelist found ways to bypass it and apply it to Kaijudo Art as well, re-creating the Creatures. Duelist labeled that style of Kaijudo Art: Level 1. Level 2, is actually twice as hard to do, bringing the creature into the area from another. This however, requires the duelist's Willpower, and Life Force. The stronger the creature, the harder it is to summon.

"But the others can do this without a problem, like it doesn't affect them at all."

"That's because they've received the Training before. Their bodies are used to the strain, so they adapted to such situations; therefore, they aren't physically affected. You on the other hand, pass out the second you pull off such a feat.

"Don't remind me…" C.J. turned his head.

"Which is why I'm training you the same way the others were trained; I'm gonna make it so that your body won't succumb to the strain."

"How are you gonna do that?" C.J. asked.

"Actually it's quite simple." She suddenly threw a punch at him, causing him to instinctively jump back. However she continued her assault until she got him onto the ground.

"The hell was that?" C.J. snapped.

"Physical Training; Kaijudo is considered a Martial Art right?" she cracked her knuckles. Physical and Mental training is required. I'm training you physically to make the mental part easier. On top of that, your body will get used to being put under such a strain. Makes sense doesn't it?"

"Quick question though; when will I need to punch and kick people?"

"Do you want to learn how to Access LV 2 Kaijudo or not, because we can stop and I can go up against Drake myself." She growled feeling offended.

"That's OK; I'll take your training." C.J. replied.

Sarina's calm composure return as she brought her fist back up. "In that case: on your feet Maggot."

C.J. nodded and stood up. He brought his fist up as well. "Ready whenever you are;"

"Here I come then." Sarina charged C.J. and threw a flurry of Punches his way, with him blocking and ducking each one, throwing his own when needed.

"How did you pick up on it so fast?" Sarina commented, out of breath. "We've been only doing this for five minutes."

"I'm a Quick Learner, what can I say?" C.J. smirked. "Come on, let's keep going. This is fun."

Sarina got serious and nodded. _"Something's off. He's not telling me something…"_ she raced over and threw a kick at C.J., which he blocked. She put more force into it, pushing him over, but he regained his posture and sent a right hook that she barely caught. The two of them kept making close calls on each other for the remainder of the hour.

* * *

><p>The two stared at each other, both of them breathing heavily due to the training, both covered in dirt and scratches in a few places.<p>

"Never expected a card game to bring me this much exhaustion." C.J. admitted. He dropped to one knee and looked at Sarina, who more or less did the same.

"You… really surprised me." She admitted. "Never did I expect you to do so much."

"Like I said… I'm a quick learner."

Sarina nodded and forced herself up. "OK then. Now for lesson 2: Mental training. Access your Kaijudo in your mind and see what happens now."

"Right..." C.J. closed his eyes and saw the Green Tornado, stronger and fiercer than before.

"Don't worry; Due to the physical training we just did, your Kaijudo Energy is slowly moving on to the next level. So if it looks more powerful than before, then that means we've done something right. Try walking into it."

"Are you nuts?" C.J. asked with his eyes closed still. "It looks like it'll kill me."

"The Lightning-like aura that shows up on your hand is harmless to the user. It's the physical form of the user's Kaijudo Energy inside of them. Whether it's a Fireball, A Wave, a Tornado, a Pit, or a Blinding Light, the more powerful it is, the more knowledge, and control you have over it. Trying to access a level where your knowledge and ability doesn't come close to matching is just about the same as driving a Racecar without having a day's worth of experience behind the wheel. It's suicide. It's amazing however, that you did it twice without having any knowledge on it."

"Once again: quick learner."

"Too amazing to be honest…"

C.J. opened his eyes and gave her a confused look." What's that supposed to mean?"

"This isn't the first time you went through this training is it?" Sarina popped the question.

C.J. hesitated. "What are you…?"

"Am I wrong?" she asked. "Because it seems to me that you're very experienced when it comes to using Kaijudo Art."

C.J. froze.

"You have the dueling skill of a C-Rank; But the knowledge and physical ability of an A-Rank, if not close to an S-Rank."

"Well I…"

"I guess I won't get my answer out of you so easily huh?" Sarina shrugged her shoulders. "In that case: Kettou Da. I'll just duel you for your explanation." Her bare hand sparked up.

"A Kaijudo Duel...?"

Sarina nodded. "Let's see how the training paid off."

"But are you sure I-"

"Just do it!" She ordered.

C.J. nodded and closed his eyes. His hand started to spark vibrantly as he opened his eyes soon after.

"Ikuzo…" He told her.

Sarina nodded and ran over to the side of the house a few feet await to get the two card tables.

"You really took our Family card tables out here?"

"Well of course I did, we're gonna need room obviously." She pointed out.

She opened up one where she was standing and ran back to C.J. and opened the 2nd one next to him.

"There, 10 feet should work, besides this will be a test." Sarina dusted off her hands.

"If you say so..."

Sarina ran back to her side and set her deck onto the table.

C.J. did the same, setting the shields and drawing 5 cards.

* * *

><p>"Shields up...!" Sarina called out as the five shields materialized in front of her. "Your turn; just take a deep breath and concentrate."<p>

C.J. nodded. He closed his eyes again, seeing the violent windstorm in front of him, not moving from when he last laid eyes upon it.

"Shields… Up!" he bolted into the tornado and re-opened his eyes, watching as the Teal-colored energy shields materialize one after another until there were five in total.

"Good Job." Sarina set fire mana. "I end my turn."

C.J. drew and set nature mana. "I Generate: Emerald Claws."

The Crystal materialized over C.J.'s head as he watched them transform into the pair of jeweled fist.

Sarina drew and set Nature mana. "I end my turn."

C.J. drew and set Fire mana. "I summon Gonta, the Warrior Savage."

The Fire and Nature Crystals fused together, transforming into the Savage warrior. He landed behind C.J., the landing sending a small tremor due to his size.

Sarina drew and set another nature mana. "Cocco Lupia, I summon you."

Cocco Lupia responded by materializing from the trio of Crystals on Sarina's side.

"Feels like Déjà vu." C.J. joked.

"Doesn't mean it's gonna end up like last time either." Sarina replied.

C.J. drew and set his third mana. "I summon Bronze-arm Tribe, and he gives me an extra mana. C.J. flipped the card, revealing to be nature.

"In addition to that, I tap my new Nature mana, in order to Cross Emerald Claws onto Gonta. Break her shield!"

Gonta roared as the Claws made his lance turn Green. He leapt into the air, and slashed the area in front of him, sending the Green sonic waves crashing into her shields. She shielded herself from the debris and looked at her card.

"I end my turn." C.J. said.

Sarina smirked. "Looks like you're getting the hang of things, I'm impressed."

C.J. smirked back. "Not the first time."

Sarina drew and set the retrieved card in mana. "I summon Terradragon Regarion."

Regarion materialized and roared, setting his sights on his Master's enemy.

"That'll do it for now."

C.J. drew and set mana. "Time to bring in the heavy artillery; Gonta, evolve into Armored Raider Gandaval." He threw the Evolution creature on top of Gonta, as the five Crystals materialized and fused into an Evo Crystal. It radiated its bright Orange light as Gonta was encased in it. It emerged as a human warrior with Red armor, covered in thousands of different weapons, ranging from small guns, to Gatling weapons to heavy cannons, and flame throwers.

C.J. began to breathe heavily, noticing the strain his body just felt summoning the Evolution creature.

"Gandaval, Double break her shields!"

Gandaval locked on and the twin Flame Throwers ignited scorching the two shields to ashes, leaving two left.

"Shield trigger X: Octillion Force, cross onto Regarion."

The insect-like Cross gear materialized and attached itself onto Regarion, giving him the added boost in power.

"That's not good." C.J. thought.

Sarina drew her card and set it. "I Summon Super Dragon Machine Dolzark."

Dolzark arose from the ground as its roar, scared some of the neighbors awake.

"Regarion, attack Gandaval!"

Regarion roared in response and rammed Gandaval, the blades cutting through the weaponry. The armor began to short out as Gandaval exploded.

"And due to Dolzark's effect…"

Dolzark threw his Scythe at Bronze which made it into a Mana crystal.

"Cocco Lupia, Break his shield."

Cocco nodded and zoomed past, shattering a shield to bits.

C.J. jumped back from the shield shards falling as the eventually faded out. He drew his next card and he set fire mana. "I end." He said reluctantly.

"Guess that means that this duel's mine then..." She drew her next card and set mana, tapping four.

"Vortex Evolution: Soul Phoenix, Avatar of Unity!" She fused Dolzark and Cocco Lupia together as they both leapt into the air. After a Bright light illuminated the rising dawn, Soul Phoenix slowly descended, its glittering beauty reflected off the sunlight.

"Soul Phoenix, Triple Break!"

Soul Phoenix's blades developed spiral flames around them as it charged, destroying three shields in its passing. The attack blew so much wind that C.J. nearly flew off his feet, but he managed to keep his balance.

"Dammit, no triggers…"

"Regarion, Break his last shield."

Now it was Regarion's turn. Using the energy from the Cross Gear, Regarion let out a neon blue-green laser beam that shattered the last shield into glitter.

C.J. watched at it fell but smirked. "Just when I needed you most; Shield Trigger: Natural Snare! I send Soul Phoenix to mana!"

"What did you say?" Sarina watched from above as Soul Phoenix was encased in vines as dragged into the earth.

"Well, then that takes care of- What the?" C.J.'s relief suddenly disappeared as he saw a red and a Red/Green crystal re-materialize into Cocco Lupia and Dolzark respectively.

Sarina let out a small giggle that turned into full out hysteria.

"Why are they here?" C.J. asked.

"You are so cute." Sarina cracked up. "Did you forget that quickly? When Soul Phoenix leaves the battle zone… Only the top card leaves."

C.J. went pale at that statement. "That means that the creatures used for the evolution…"

"Return to the Battle Zone in the same position as the Evo creature was beforehand. Yes, my friend… You're screwed."

C.J. drew his next card. "You're right about that. I end my turn."

Sarina drew her card and set it. "Before you die I just need to tell you one thing…"

Her words just made him paler. "Before I…"

"Your Training… is complete." Sarina smiled. "Cocco Lupia Todomeda!"

Cocco Chirped and shot towards C.J. to end it. He shielded himself, but… Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes noticing Cocco Lupia staring him down.

Cocco Lupia went to poke him in the fore head, but C.J. moved to the side. It tried again, but once again, C.J. moved.

"I'm not letting you put a hole in my head." He told it.

"Well if you hold still maybe it won't hurt you crybaby!" Cocco Lupia snapped.

C.J. was about to answer back but noticed two things. For one thing, Cocco Lupia Talked. And the second was the fact that her voice was nearly identical to Sarina's.

"I Gotcha...!" Cocco Lupia got really close and tapped him softly. "There, was that so bad?"

"Ow." C.J. said sarcastically. "No, I guess not…"

Cocco Lupia flew back over to where Sarina was as they gave each other a thumb up. The creatures faded away as the sun continued to make its way up into the sky.

C.J. dropped to his knees, feeling extremely exhausted. "God I'm starving."

"You got some explaining to do." Sarina walked over. "A deal's a deal."

C.J. gave her a quick glance, and tried to nod. "Ok, Ok. I'll talk; after we get something to eat."

Sarina shook her head. "Have it your way. You're treating by the way."

"Say what? Why do I have to?"

"Because I, your wonderful teacher have taught you the ways of True Kaijudo Art."

"Yeah by waking me up at 5AM and making me do Karate." C.J. reminded her.

"But it all worked out didn't it? Come on, Hero." She grabbed his arm and helped him on his feet. "How about I make you breakfast…?

C.J gave her a look like she was insane. "Repeat that again?"

"Oh come on, Nikki taught me how to cook. Besides, you'll love it."

"Sarina… you're freaking me out you know that right?"

"Oh don't worry about it. Consider it, Teacher/Student Bonding."

"Tsume, help please?"

"Nah, I'm perfectly fine watching you play 'House'." Tsume said through the Deck Case.

"Jeez, you're so useless."

Tsume laughed. "Oh come on Kid, relax, you did well today. You pulled off something not a lot of Humans can do. And if the young Avatar Princess wants to treat her apprentice to a nice Breakfast, I say: Waffles, Pancakes and French Toast."

C.J. Sighs and gives up, going along with Sarina's Breakfast plan.

* * *

><p>As the two head inside, a young man sitting on the shoulder of a Dark purple Humanoid-Reptile creature slowly descends closer to the house. The Young man had silver hair, wearing a black suit with a Green dress shirt and a black tie. His emerald colored eyes stared down as he crossed his arms. The Reptilian creature flapped its wings as it held up its muscled body, which was dressed with gold bits of armor around its joints. The creature grabbed the hilt of his Katana, eagerly wanting to draw it from its sheath.<p>

"No no Ryukuma. not yet. Can't disobey Drake's orders now can we?"

"Always playing it safe…" The Matchless Fear Lord detached his claws off his blade.

"For good reasons, old friend; after all… I want them to endure as much torment as much as you do. But alas, we must wait. The time will come where we'll be pitted against them in battle."

"Soon… Hell awaits them."

[END]


	12. The Ice Princess and the Hell Rider

Chapter 12: The Ice Princess and the Hell Rider

Sarina sets the stack of pancakes on the kitchen table in front of CJ as she takes the apron off of her.

"Sorry for the wait." She said as she went over to the cabinet to get plates.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. I still can't get over the fact that you made me breakfast."

"Well it won't mean anything unless you try it." Sarina handed him a fork.

C.J. turned to the stack and studied it.

"It won't bite so stop poking it, it'll fall over." She said watching him.

"Easy for you to say; you probably put some Kaijudo magic or whatever into it to make it come alive and bite my arm off."

Sarina sighed and took her fork, taking the top cake off the stack. She cut a piece off with her fork and ate it with no problem.

"See, Nothing. Now try it."

C.J. didn't trust her but he reluctantly took one and did the same thing.

"So…? How is it?" Sarina came closer eagerly awaiting his approval.

C.J. chewed some more and swallowed. "Well, I'll say this. This is probably the most-"

C.J. froze midsentence, making gagging motions, quickly tilting his head back, as if he passed out.

"Uh… C.J.?" Sarina asked.

Tsume materialized onto the table, seeing C.J.'s lifeless body and looking back at Sarina. "You killed him… You know divorce papers could've worked better in this situation."

Sarina glared at the Cat. "Ok at first it was cute but now you're pushing your luck, so I suggest you drop it while you still have 9 lives."

Tsume felt a chill in his spine and stepped back. "I deeply apologize."

"Apology accepted. Now then to the task at hand… Holy Crap my cooking killed him!"

"Killed who?" C.J. looked at her. He reached over and took 3 more pancakes and began to mow them down.

Tsume and Sarina stared at the teen.

"Um… What?"

"We thought you choked to death!" they harmonized.

"Oh, my bad… I think I went to pancake heaven for a second." C.J. explained.

"So you like it?" Sarina sparked.

"Are you kidding? This is phenomenal." He replied happily. "Really filling too."

"Glad you enjoying it." She replied. She took a few more and the two began to eat breakfast.

* * *

><p>A while passed since breakfast and C.J. and Sarina sat in the living room, deck building with set 17 cards that Adrian advised they use.<p>

"So… C.J." Sarina sat her deck down and sat back on the sofa. "A deal's a deal. Who taught you Kaijudo Art?"

C.J. nodded slightly. "Yeah I did promise that. Well, I never told any of my friends this, especially Jake. Back when I lived in California… I had a friend. Basically when Jake moved to NYC, I was left alone without a best friend. That's when I met him."

"Who'd u meet?" She asked.

"His name was Dante Roman."

"Dante Roman?" Sarina repeated. "Son of Mitchell Roman, Founder of the DCA, that Dante Roman?"

"Yeah, go figure." C.J. chuckled. "Dan and I. We became friends fast. He got into Duel Masters but I was terrible at the game, I couldn't get the hang of it. He tried to teach me but… I just couldn't. Even so he never gave up. But then he showed me something he could do…"

"He released Kaijudo Energy from his hand didn't he…?" Sarina concluded.

C.J. nodded. "I was so fascinated by how he did it, that I wanted to try it. We did the training like we did earlier and sure enough… I succeeded."

"Whatever happened to Dante?" Sarina asked.

"I don't know. From what I heard two years ago, he died in a boat accident. The story was covered up fast as Mr. Roman didn't want to make the death of his son a big deal. That was the last I heard of him."

"I'm sorry…"

"Nah, don't be. Since I moved here Five months ago, I've made a lot of friends that are irreplaceable. And nothing could ever change that."

Out of nowhere a loud boom shook the house as C.J. and Sarina both darted to the front door.

"What is that?"

"Galmuta, Matchless Fear Lord." Sarina replied as they stared at the Purple giant.

"C.J.!" A voice called from the giant.

C.J. froze. "Could it be…?" he ripped the door open and ran outside.

"Hey wait!"

C.J. stopped in front of the Dragon as it looked down. The man walked up to make himself visible to him. "It's been a while, hasn't it Bro?"

"Dante… You're alive…"

Dante smirked. "Hate to say it, but I wish I could say the same of you in 20 seconds. "Ryukuma, kill him."

"Understood…" He drew his Katana and locked onto his Target. Ryukuma dove at the Duo, both of them frozen in fear.

"C.J. Move it!" Sarina pulled C.J back out of harm's way, but realized that the creature's blade was over her head.

A large boom rang into the air afterward…

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at Dylan's house, Wyatt and Dylan were deck building in a similar fashion to Sarina and C.J. Not needing to go through the similar training as those two did, Wyatt just needed to make sure that Dylan understood the chemistry of Light and Water together. And speaking of chemistry…<p>

"Buenos Dias, Dylan." A young girl, roughly eleven or twelve said as she ran down the stairs early that morning.

"Hey Maria." Dylan said without turning. "Mom left breakfast on the table.

"Ok. Hi Wyatt." Maria smiled.

"Oh uh… Good morning…" He shyly blushed. Dylan caught sight of that and took quick glances at the both of them. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to construct his deck.

"What'd she make?" Maria asked afterward.

"Bacon, Eggs, that stuff." He replied turning. It was then that he noticed the creature on her shoulder. "Um, is that a Marshal Queen?"

Maria looked at her shoulder seeing the creature rests peacefully. It was mermaid-type creature having a lavender dress cover the torso of her body. Her arms made of water made the ripples on her arms look like white spirals as she brushed the pink squid tentacles out of her face that made up her hair. Finally she carried a ammonite shell as her crown on top of her hair, signifying her role in the undersea kingdom.

"Isn't she beautiful? I got her after winning a Tournament last week." Maria smiled.

"You won a tournament?" Dylan asked. "You didn't tell me."

"Yes I did." She replied back. "You were too busy with your team that you've been ignoring me. You probably didn't realize that I moved onto C-Rank too did you?"

"Wha you did?" He asked.

"How could you ignore you little sister like that, shame on you!" Wyatt defended.

Dylan gave him a sideways look. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Wyatt knows what I'm going through."

"Yup, 100%." He perked.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Just go and eat breakfast."

Maria skipped out of the room and Dylan turned to his companion. "What's with the sudden attitude change, you went from smart-alec Starnoid to a love struck kid going through puberty."

"I think I might've developed a crush on your sister." Wyatt admitted.

Dylan sat there for a good second. "You can't date her."

"Why not?" Wyatt asked disappointed.

"Because… She's human and you're a Starnoid, whatever it is. Never gonna work."

"Seems to be working perfectly fine for CJ and Sarina, explain that."

Dylan laughed lightly. "Nice one."

"Not only that I wanna see how powerful she is." Wyatt mentioned. "She's a C-rank even though she's been dueling for a few months. She's moving on up just like C.J." Dylan added.

"Interesting… In this case, this should be fun to watch." Wyatt cleared his throat. "Hey Maria, wanna duel with your brother?"

Maria popped her head around the corner of the kitchen with a piece of bacon in her mouth. "OK. Just be careful, I've gotten really strong since the last time we played against each other.

"What will this prove exactly?" Dylan asked.

"Oh nothing, just satisfying my curiosity." Wyatt said.

Maria scrapped her plate into the garbage can and ran out into the living room as Dylan fixed his deck. "Ready Chica?"

"Yep, whenever you are."

* * *

><p>Dylan and his sister sat across from each other and set the shields on the table.<p>

"Duel Start!" They said together.

"Ladies first." Dylan motioned.

Maria nodded and set nature mana. "I end my turn."

Dylan drew and set Light mana. "I end as well."

"Maria drew and set water mana. " I cast Faerie life and gain an extra mana. I end."

Dylan drew and like her, set water mana. "I Generate Quick Defense and end my turn." He set the Light Cross gear onto the table as Maria drew her next card.

She set more nature mana, now having two of each. She tapped one of each.

"I Summon Emeral." She set a card in her shield zone and picked a new card from there. "Afterward…" She tapped the other two. "I summon Pocopen, the Counterattacking Fairy. That's all."

Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Ardent Lunatron and end my turn."

Maria drew her card and set mana. "I summon Malibu Dancer and end my turn."

Dylan drew his card and set it. "I summon Moonedge and end my turn."

"Didn't get a great hand did you?" Wyatt asked Dylan.

"Nope. Didn't expect her to spam creatures like this either."

"Trust me, it's gonna get much worse." She smiled. she drew and tapped 3 mana.

"Charge, Queen of the rushing waves: Marshal Queen!"

She threw the Evo Creature on top of Malibu dancer as Maria smiled. She set her only remaining card in her hand and picked up the card set by Emeral.

"Shield Trigger X: Octillion Force!"

She slid it under Marhsal Queen and tapped Pocopen. "Pocopen attack his shield Ike!"

Dylan snickered and tapped Ardent. "Ardent blocks."

"Marshal Queen, Triple Break his shields. Those three in the middle."

Dylan nodded and picked the 3 cards up , leaving the end shields remaining.

Wyatt whistled. "Not bad!"

Maria smiled. "Thanks."

Dylan looked at his shields, none of them triggers.

"What crappy luck." He drew and set one of the broken shields to his mana.

"I summon a second Ardent Lunatron and I cross Quick defense onto Moonedge. Due to that his power increases to 5000 and he becomes a Cyber Moon and Blocker. That should hold you for a while."

Maria drew and set mana. "I cast spiral gate, and send one of your Ardent's to your hand. Then I cast Mana Crisis and destroy one of your light mana.

Dylan reluctantly nodded and sent a mana to the grave.

"Marshal Queen, Double Break."

"Ardent blocks." Dylan sent his blocker to the grave.

"I end my turn." Maria told him.

Dylan drew and replaced his lost light mana. "I summon Aqua Skydiver and end my turn."

Maria drew and set mana. "I summon Mint Mirage, and evolve her into Marshal Queen."

"You gotta be kidding."

Like before Maria set her card into shields and picked the same one up.

"Shield Trigger X: Octillion Force. I cross it onto my Emeral.

"Not good."

"Emeral, Double Break!"

"Ardent Blocks." Dylan sent Ardent to the grave.

"Marshal Queen, Double Break!"

"Skydiver Blocks." Dylan returned it to his hand.

"Marshal Queen attack this shield."

Dylan nodded and picked up the card. "Finally Shield Trigger: Aqua Surfer, return the Crossed Marshal Queen to your hand."

"No problem." Maria replied as she sent it to her hand.

Dylan drew and set mana. "It'd be a miracle if I came back from this. I end my turn."

"Smart move…" Maria told him. She drew and set mana. "I Summon Malibu Dancer and evolve her back into Marshal Queen. Break his last shield."

"Moon edge blocks."

"Emeral Break his last shield, Marshal Queen Todomeda."

* * *

><p>Dylan looked at his last shield. " Crystal Zweilancer… Good game sis."<p>

"It feels so good to beat my older brother at his own game." She smiled in response.

"Maybe I should be training her instead of you, what do you think?" Wyatt remarked.

"There's the smart-alec Starnoid, I missed you."

Wyatt laughed. "Well then, should we get back to deck building or you're good for now?"

"Nah I'm good."

"Great, then do you mind me and your sister hanging out for a little while?"

"Yeah, sure whatev- wait, repeat that again?"

"We already made plans to hang out once we were done here. Besides, I wanna see her skills in other situations." Wyatt said. "So we decided that we're going to TCG Towers for a bit."

"Not without a chaperone you're not."

"Man Dylan, you're so overprotective." Maria shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure thing, maybe you can get more practice in while we're over there."

"I'll let that one slide…" Dylan glared at him. "Just get your stuff together so we can leave."

* * *

><p>Sarina shielded herself from the attack, but nothing happened. The air above her felt warm as she saw molten feathers drop from under her.<p>

"There's no way…" her vision darted upward as she realized Blaze Phoenix blocking Ryukuma's Blade.

"What are you doing here?" Dante asked Jamie, who stood on her Phoenix with her arms crossed.

"Stopping you for making a mistake." She replied. "This is my territory so I suggest you step off. Unless of course you want me to tell Drake that you went hunting the Avatars behind my back."

"Hunting the Avatars?" Sarina repeated…

"Ryukuma, at ease." Dante ordered.

Galumta retracted his blade and slid it into its sheath. "So close too…"

"Fine then, I'll leave them to you." Dante said. "But don't expect to order me around just because your Drake's puppy. I'm known as the Hell Rider for a reason. I'm the only man who had the courage to Ride with the Devil and survive."

Jamie shook her head. "Sounds like fun. Maybe I'll try it."

Dante smirked. Ryukuma began to float into the air. "We'll met again old friend."

Dante and Galumta disappeared soon after as Jamie turned to the two of them.

"Are you two OK?" She asked.

Her words shocked them both, but they nodded nonetheless.

Jamie gave a small smile. "Thank goodness."

Jamie and Blaze Phoenix flew off as well, before the two of them could say anything.

"That was…" Sarina began to say.

"Just what is going on?"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, in a wide open forest-like area, Karon and Jake lay on the ground, beaten up, clothing damaged as they look up at Adrian and Nikki.<p>

"Come on, you can do better than this." Adrian told them

"On you feet, we're not done. If you want these two cards, you have to work harder.

"Alphadios, Shining Emperor." Adrian said as he revealed the card in his hand.

"Dorballom, Shadow King." Nikki flipped the card in her hand.

"The Embodiments of Light and Darkness are awaiting your call to them to aid you in your future battles. You're only option to gain their power, is to reach out them with every fiber of your body. Only then, can you command them."

"Damn…" Jake hit the ground. "Who'd knew this would be so hard."

"Those things drain an extreme amount of Kaijudo Energy. Nonetheless, we've been through worse." Karon mentioned. "So why the hell is controlling these light weights such a trial?"

"Well it's not like we're gonna give up."

"Got that right. Let's go, Partner." Karon turned to Jake.

"Right; Partner." Jake nodded.

The duo charged Adrian and Nikki afterward…

[END]


	13. Partners for Life

Chapter 13: Partners for Life

_[DCA Regional Tournament, Orlando Florida, August 10th, 2013] _

"I tap mana and evolve Leonidas, White Knight Elemental into White Knight HEAVEN: Lord of Spirits!"

The silver lion-like Shining command roared as he grew in size. The Evo Crystal descended upon him as his body was covered in Sapphire-Blue armor with gold highlights. It's bright white wings emerged from the armor as its arm generated a purplish Energy blade.

"HEAVEN, Blast his creatures to the shield zone!" The duelist ordered.

The Creature did just so, slashing down the three Darkness Reapers to bits as they regenerated into shields.

"Now then: Triple Break!"

HEAVEN Dashed to those very shields and sliced them to bits.

"Amazing…!" D-MAX Exclaimed. "The White Knight: Jake Wilson has decimated his opponent's forces through his Trump Card: White Knight HEAVEN! How is Karon Davidson, the Proclaimed 'Dark Reaper' going to bounce back, when he's out of shields and creatures?"

"Looks like I drove you into a corner." Jake told his opponent.

Karon smirked. "Actually you just helped me quite a bit." Karon set his 9th mana.

"I summon: Deathproof, Shadow Reaper."

A Black Spider-like creature materialized behind Karon.

"That's it? If all you're gonna summon are 'Bed Bugs' then this duel will be over in no time."

"And then I evolve it…" Karon flipped the card in his hand. "Into Ballom Monarch: Dark Reaper King."

"What…?" Jake realized as he witnessed the spider transform into Ballom. It was silver and cyan-blue with red feathers covering his arms. Its head was a similar blue color with Gold and Black highlights traced into it, matching the wings that shot out.

"Why summon bed bugs when I can summon the Boogey Man himself? Kage: Todomeda!"

"Makkor blocks!" Jake countered.

Ballom Howled and shot a ball of dark Energy towards Jake. HEAVEN slashed the ball in half, but it never disappeared, continuing to aim at Jake. Makkor however intercepted the attack and fell.

"In that case... revive your fallen follower: Deathraios, Reaper of the Cursed Blade!"

HEAVEN turned back to see how that was possible, not realizing that the resurrected Creature was behind him. The fallen reaper impaled HEAVEN with his blade, clutching onto it as HEAVEN's mechanical body exploded.

"What a comeback!" Ballom Monarch not only summoned _His_ Trump Card, but brought an end to Jake's Trump! This is truly the best display of White Knights and Reapers. These two Dueling Prodigies should be applauded for their skills at such a young age."

The crowd agreed 100% as the thousands of fans there both cheered the two Fourteen year olds for their mastery over their respected Civilizations.

Jake and Karon both looked at each other and smirked, both thinking the same thing. They found themselves an Eternal Rival…

And in some situations: a Partner for life…

* * *

><p><em>[Two years later, Present Time]<em>

* * *

><p>"Come on, you can do better than this." Adrian told them<p>

"On your feet, we're not done. If you want these two cards, you have to work harder.

"Alphadios: Shining Emperor." Adrian said as he revealed the card in his hand.

"Dorballom: Shadow King." Nikki flipped the card in her hand.

"The Embodiments of Light and Darkness are awaiting your call to them to aid you in your future battles. You're only option to gain their power, is to reach out them with every fiber of your body. Only then, can you command them."

"Damn…" Jake hit the ground. "Who'd knew this would be so hard."

"Those things drain an extreme amount of Kaijudo Energy. Nonetheless, we've been through worse." Karon mentioned. "So why the hell is controlling these light weights such a trial?"

"Well it's not like we're gonna give up."

"Got that right; let's go, Partner." Karon turned to Jake.

"Right; Partner…" Jake nodded.

The duo charged Adrian and Nikki afterward.

"I summon Alcadeias, Lord of Spirits!" Jake called out as Alcadeias Materialized behind him.

"I summon, Ballom, Master of Death!" Karon Followed as Ballom materialized as well.

"Looks like they're persistent…" Nikki observed.

"Well, Persistence isn't gonna get them these cards." Arian mentioned. "Vortex Evolution: Aura Pegasus, Avatar of Life."

"Vortex Evolution: Cruel Naga, Avatar of Fate."

Aura Pegasus and Cruel Naga materialized into the area as they both charged the Light/Dark Duo.

As the four creatures took to the skies, they each studied each other, figuring out who was going to attack first.

Jake took a card from his deck, the lightning covering it. The tossed it into the air towards Tenshi, his Alcadeias.

"Generate: Glorious Heaven's Arm!" Jake called out as the card became an orb of light.

"Cross!" Jake called out again.

It hit Alcadeias' left arm as it was engulfed, turning into a golden knight armored arm with a golden blade in its hand.

"Guess we know who's going first." Adrian stated. Aura Pegasus charged Alcadeias, who blocked the charge. Alcadeias kicked Pegasus back, and charged him, slashing it a few times.

Cruel Naga went to charge Alcadeias, but her tail was caught by Ballom, who dragged the serpent back towards him. Ballom held its hand point blank at Cruel Naga, aiming to destroy it head on, but at the last minute, her tail wrapped around his waist, cutting off his concentration. She aimed her reptilian mouth at him, and blasted him back down to the earth.

Alcadeias realized that and so did Aura Pegasus. Pegasus took the opportunity to tackle Alcadeias, summoning a Skysword to make two quick slashes at the Shining command. Pegasus continued to attack and summon smaller creatures to assault Alcadeias, until he too dropped towards the earth.

Heaven's arm disappeared as Jake fell to one knee, the strain slowly depleting his energy.

"Man this is just too tough." Jake said. Aura Pegasus and Cruel Naga landed softly on the ground as Adrian and Nikki sighed.

"I must say, that was a better attempt than the last four times." Adrian commended. "Unfortunately, it's not enough."

"Looks like we have to push them further…" Nikki snapped her fingers, alerting Cruel Naga to open her mouth.

"Incinerate them." Nikki said.

Naga charged a cyan-blue colored beam that Jake and Karon stared at in awe.

"What the heck are they thinking; they can kill us with that!" Jake exclaimed.

Adrian smirked. "That's the point. If you can't avoid this attack then you're as good as dead; 5 Seconds and counting…"

"We're screwed." Jake said.

"The hell we are; Kage, counter it!" Karon ordered his Ballom.

Ballom struggled and with one hand, shot a beam towards Cruel Naga."

"Time's up…" Nikki said.

Cruel Naga shot her Beam that intercepted Ballom's although it was clearly one-sided.

"Dammit, I'm drained too." Karon dropped, breathing heavily. "We really will die if we push ourselves anymore."

Jake looked at Karon and shook his head. "I only have one shot." Jake drew two cards, a Nature Cross gear, and a Light Cross gear from his deck case.

"Are you insane, if you use those, it'll drain you completely. Karon told him.

"It's either me or the world." Jake shot back. "If we don't get those cards the world will be destroyed. At least if I do this we'll have a chance."

"You're an idiot!" Karon shouted.

Jake smirked. "Typical for my rival to worry about me…" Jake crossed his arms and revealed the cards.

"GENERATE: KING'S BLADE; QUEEN'S SHIELD: CROSS!"

Cruel Naga put more force into her attack as it engulfed the four of them, resulting in an explosion.

Adrian and Nikki watched as the flames shot into the air, sighing that Jake and Karon failed their training.

"Guess we were wrong about them…" Nikki said, looking at Dorballom's card.

"In the end though, they put up quite a challenge…" Adrian looked at Alphadios' card as well. "Guess they weren't ready."

Alphadios' card suddenly began to glow a yellow aura around it.

"What the…?" The card shot of Adrian's hand and shot into the smoke.

"There's no way…" Nikki started to say.

The smoke cleared, showing Jake holding Alphadios' card in his hand and Alcadeias behind him, his arms covered in a golden shield like object, along with six Green Blades extending from his back.

"Alcadeias… Evolve into Alphadios… SHINING EMPEROR!"

Jake threw his arm into the air, the Card not losing its radiant glow. A large beam shot from the sky as it engulfed the armored Alcadeias. The Green Blades turn Gold colored as the armor of the blades reformed into arms that gained golden armor on them as well, black hands grasping onto them. Alcadeias' body grew twice in size, including his wings. His body lost most of the sapphire color and was replaced by brownish royalty clothing such as the sash around its neck. His helmet also extended horns, making it resemble more of a crown.

Alcadeias' Evo Crystal floated, hovering over its head, turning into the similar Brownish-Bronze color as his armor.

"That's impossible…" Nikki said. He should be completely burned out at this point.

"It's not him that's doing it." Adrian replied. Alphadios realized Jake's sacrifice to protect Karon. As such he himself came here to see to it that it happens.

"Alphadios, Shining Emperor: Destroy Cruel Naga." Jake ordered.

Alphadios' blades lined up into a Hexagon formation as it charged a massive ball of energy. It fired, completely decimating Cruel Naga. However, Naga's ability triggered, sending the shockwave of the explosion back at Alphadios.

"No matter though. Just as fast as it showed up, Alphadios will fall." Nikki shrugged.

"Look again." Adrian pointed to her hand.

Nikki looked down, seeing Dorballom's card glowing in a similar fashion to Alphadios' card just before. The card shot to Karon as Ballom got up.

"Ballom, Master of Death: Evolve into Dorballom the Shadow King!"

The Ground erupted as if an earthquake struck. Ballom howled as he grew twice in size as well, his body becoming completely white as opposed to black. His shoulder pads extended past the length of his wings, curving in some places, where under them, he grew two more pair of arms, totaling six. Similar to Ausezu, Dorballom sits on a blue-green Podium, despite having ruby colored wings. Around his legs are gold-colored tentacle-like objects that float around him, each having a small version of his head attached to the other side of it; Finally his arm-scythes now resemble shark fins, being the same white color with a pale blue stream going along the sides of them, the two colors cut off by a red line that's traced across his body.

"Even Dorballom…?" Nikki watched.

Dorballom smacked the shockwave into the air like it was nothing, taking its small gold orb in one of its hands and slamming Aura Pegasus with it, causing the Avatar of Life to die a quick death.

"Even Dorballom has a change of heart, go figure." Adrian nodded. "I guess they both decided that these two are worthy to control them; Can't say they're wrong."

"It's amazing isn't it?" Drake's voice lingered from the tree a few feet behind them.

Adrian and Nikki turned back and saw Drake and his team gathered.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Drake said. "Aura Pegasus, Cruel Naga…"

"Death Phoenix…" Adrian replied. "Why are you here?"

"Why? Simple; to get revenge…" Drake replied.

"Revenge…? That's what you're after, some petty vendetta?" Nikki asked.

Drake jumped from the tree and walked over to Nikki. His hand shot to her neck as he put force into it.

"Petty vendetta…? Please, you know me much better than that." He pushed her back and kicked her a few feet away.

"NIKKI!" Adrian shouted out. "Why you…"

"What? You took everything from me… I'm going to do the same to you. Fortunately for you, I'm a very patient person so I just stopped by to give you your invitation.

"Invitation…?" Adrian repeated.

"One week from today; that is, if you survive until then… I will unleash my armies from the creature world onto Earth. You have one week to stop me before I can do that. During that time, my duelist here will be hunting you down. If you manage to defeat at least 3 of them, I'll let you know where my location is. Keep in mind, that they are all extremely well trained Kaijudo Duelist, so each duel will most likely… be a duel to the death."

"You're insane! Are you really going to risk their lives for this?" Adrian yelled at him.

"I'm willing, and able. They know the risk, and they're OK with it. Because once you curs are out of the way, I'll finally be able to unify the worlds and rule over it as I see fit… Besides; _I am_ the Avatar of Unity after all."

"You're no Avatar… You're a heartless demon who seeks nothing but destruction!"

"Call me what you like I can care less… The fact is that in one week the Four thorns in my side will be gone forever. Until then, old friend…"

Drake turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait a minute!" Adrian called out. "What about Sarina?"

Drake gave him a sideways look. "What about her?"

"Are you OK with killing your own little sister?"

Drake turned back. "I'm not that heartless, I would never do that. That's already been taken care of for me."

Jake, Karon, Adrian and Nikki all grew cold at hearing that.

"What do you mean…?" Nikki asked him, fearing the worst.

"You didn't know…?" Drake realized. "Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but… Sarina and her little friend… They're dead."

The entire mood of the area changed, especially Jamie. Her eyesight shot towards Dante who carried an evil smirk on his face.

Nikki felt as if her whole world just shattered into a million pieces. Her eyes involuntarily leaked water as she forced herself up.

"I'll kill you…" Nikki uttered.

Adrian looked at Nikki and realized her anger was beginning to skyrocket.

"Nicole, calm down."

"My baby girl's dead…" Nikki uttered again. "I'm gonna kill him."

Drake smirked. "I guess I'll take my leave now…"

Cruel Naga suddenly broke through the clouds unleashing an energy beam targeted specifically for Drake.

The other members of Team Zero instantly bounced back from the attack to avoid getting hit.

As the smoke cleared, Blaze Phoenix was shown, holding Cruel Naga at bay.

"Kill me huh? That's funny." Drake turned to her. "Jamie, Let the Avatar met her fate."

Jamie looked at Nikki, her tried eyes forcing whatever water was left in them as she looked back at Blaze Phoenix holding Naga's mouth wide open.

Blaze Phoenix opened its mouth and shot a spiral of flames at the Naga, making it disintegrate in front of them.

Nikki suddenly lost all feeling in her body as her head crashed into the grass. Her eyesight began to fade as well.

"Sarina…" Nikki uttered. She closed her eyes and laid lifeless/

"NICOLE!" Adrian ran over to her and flipped her over. "Wake up!" he shook her body, but to no avail. Adrian began to cry, desperately wanting his companion to awaken.

Drake laughed maniacally, enjoying every second of this. "Two more to go… I'll leave you be Aura Pegasus. After all I want to crush you myself; as you did to me 6500 years ago…"

Drake turned back as his team began to walk off. Jamie looked over to Jake and Karon, both of them devastated that Jamie went along with it.

She didn't know if they could see it or not, but she tried to mouthed "I'm Sorry" to them. Tears dripped down her face as she walked off as well.

Alphadios and Dorballom reverted to cards as they landed in front of the bruised duo.

"What do we do now?" Jake asked. "We only have a week before Armageddon hits."

Adrian got up, carrying Nikki's lifeless body in his arms. "Training's officially over. At this point, It's all or nothing." He looked down at Nikki's body. "Drake's gonna pay for this… I SWEAR!"

* * *

><p>Sarina and C.J. make it to TCG Towers finding Wyatt and Dylan there, watching Maria dominate the other players with her Marshal Queen combo.<p>

"Hey there;" Dylan noticed them walk in. "How's everything."

"Not bad. Sarina put me through hell, but I managed to get through it. What about you? What trail did Wyatt put you in?"

"He made me duel my sister."

"And that's bad?"

Dylan pointed over to the K-Terminal where she was.

"Shield Trigger X: Octillion Force! I cross it onto my Marshal Queen. Triple Break his shields, Emperor Quazla, Todomeda!"

"And that makes 6 wins straight." Dylan commented.

"Six wins?" C.J. asked surprised. "And how old is she?"

"Eleven. She really is abusing that Marshal Queen and Octillion Force Combo."

"No kidding." Wyatt added. "Makes me lov-"

He turned over to Sarina who had a voice recorder held up to his mouth.

"Go ahead, it makes you what now?" Sarina asked.

"It makes me love the fact that she's 10x the better duelist than you'll ever be!" Wyatt stuck his tongue at Sarina and ran over to the K-Terminal.

"Why that little… I'm telling Nikki!" Sarina called out.

"Aren't you a little old for tattle-tailing?" C.J. asked.

"Are you kidding? He does it to me all the time and he's like twelve…"

"Well that's understandable." Dylan nodded, taking a sip of his water bottle.

"Thousand." Sarina finished.

Dylan choked. "Twelve-what…!"

"Wyatt's 12,000 years old. It's because of the fact that he's half Cyber Lord. Cyber Lords have an extremely long life span, but for some reason, they never age. Legend has it that they were the ones who created the Five Civilizations."

"That's interesting…" C.J. said. "And what about you…?"

"Me? About 6,600 years old." Sarina replied. "Compared to the others, I'm the baby of the group."

"Well then why are you in the form of a fifteen year old and Wyatt, a twelve year old?"

"I don't know. Not that I'm worried or anything. Kinda glad I didn't end up like an old lady or something, that'd be weird." She laughed off.

C.J. tried to imagine it, but was too afraid to think of a 6,600 year old woman; just the idea creeps him out.

Dylan's cellphone suddenly goes off as he checks it. "Yo Jake, what's up?"

After a few seconds, Dylan turned to C.J. and Sarina. "Yeah, they just came to TCG towers a few minutes ago why?" After a second, Dylan's face grew pale. "She's what…? Yeah, we're on our way right now. See you then."

"What's up with them, is everything OK?"

Dylan was speechless. "Nikki's… dead."

[END]


	14. First Strike

Chapter 14: First Strike

* * *

><p>"Nikki's dead…"<p>

C.J. and Sarina looked at Dylan like he was insane. They were all together the day before, they were the Avatars… Who… or what had the power to possibly do that?

"You're kidding right…?" C.J. asked.

Dylan shook his head. "Drake ambushed them during their training session and Nikki attacked him because Drake said that you two were killed; However a Red Phoenix saved him and demolished Cruel Naga. Nikki passed out along with it and hasn't waked up, nor is she breathing, so…"

"You're lying…" Sarina told him. "Nikki… can't be dead."

"Sarina…" C.J. turned to her.

"She can't die… She can't leave me and Wyatt." She dropped to her knees and cried. "She just can't!"

Wyatt and Maria walked over, noticing Sarina in a devastated state.

"What's wrong with her?" Wyatt asked. "I didn't think my joke would make you cry. Come on, you know I was kidding. You don't have to tell Nikki. Oh crap, please don't tell her, she's still on me about that 40 year old troll comment from last week!"

Wyatt's comments concerning her, just made Sarina cry even more.

"Um Wyatt…" Dylan walked up to him. "Adrian just called me…"

"And…? How's the training going?" Wyatt asked as he wrapped his hands behind his head.

"Not good…"

"Well, that's a shame. Guess we just gotta clean up their mess then."

"Nikki's dead you idiot!" Sarina screamed at him. The whole store heard her and turned to the group.

Wyatt's demeanor slowly changed as Sarina's words ran through his head. "Say what…?"

"Drake's team destroyed Cruel Naga through Blaze Phoenix…" Sarina sobbed. "Nikki's gone Wyatt…"

"No she's not…" Wyatt replied. "She can't die…"

"Wyatt…"

"Stop lying Sarina this isn't funny!"

"But I'm not lying it's the truth."

"No it's not, you're lying!" Now Wyatt was in tears as well. "And I'll prove it!"

Wyatt busted through the doors of the card shop on a mission to try to find proof that Nikki wasn't dead.

"Wyatt, wait!" Maria called out to him.

Dylan turned to the others. "I'll go after him. C.J., what do you wanna do?"

"I'll…" he turned to the sobbing teen next to him as he put his arm around her and picked her up. "I'll take Sarina back to my house, let her calm down a bit before we meet up with the others."

Dylan nodded in agreement. "OK then. Come on, Maria."

The two of them ran out as C.J. got Sarina on her feet.

"Come on, let's go." C.J. told her, to which she nodded slowly.

* * *

><p>That night, C.J., Sarina and Tsume sat in his room, quiet as it was. Fortunately, Sarina was out of her hysterical state and was willing to talk.<p>

"Feel any better?" C.J. asked her.

Sarina nodded and pushed her black hair from her eyes. "We Avatars… We consider each other like family. Nikki… When I first became the Avatar of Unity… it was her that accepted me first. Wyatt was a brat who didn't like the idea that Drake was being replaced, by a girl no less… and Adrian was fearful that I'd betray them like he did, as a sort of revenge scheme.

"But what about Nikki…?"

"Nikki knew of my situation. My Father, Totto Pippichi, Vortex Evolved with the King of the Fire Civilization during a War between the Fire and Light. Uberdragon Bajula was born from an Egg that my Father raised, so My family has strong ties with the Fire Kingdom. When Drake was left for dead by the Avatar of Life, Darkness creatures took the bodies and experimented, using their technology to create a Pseudo-Avatar, to use in future Battles with the Civilizations. Since they considered this to be a Resurrection of a Deadly Warrior, falling to the forces of Light, they dubbed him: Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom. Once he awakened, the only objective he had in his mind was destroying the ones who took him out. However, he decided to test his might on Blaze Phoenix.

"So he attacked his own Father…?" C.J. realized.

"Not attacked… murdered." Sarina corrected in a guilt-like tone. "Blaze Phoenix was wiped out. But Drake, having a tough time battling against it, decided that Blaze Phoenix could be used as a possible Weapon of Mass Destruction."

"That's exactly what Adrian told us before…"

"Losing both my Older Brother and my Father in such a short time truly devastated me. Not only that, but I was obligated to become the Next Soul Phoenix. So with my newborn Terradragon Regarion I, a Cocco Lupia, Vortex Evolved into the Next Soul Phoenix. Nikki more or less adopted me; I was alone in the world, but she reached out to me. Wyatt accepted me and he became like a little Brother to me, despite being thousands of years older than I was. Cyber Lords are really immature for their age. Finally Adrian accepted me as well, hoping that I would become someone who can fulfill the Title of 'Avatar of Unity'."

Tsume whistled. "Wow, I never knew the Avatars went through all of that."

"You didn't?" C.J. turned.

"We were taught from babies that the Avatars were the rulers of the Creature world, Deities more or less. Each possessed two civilizations, and each one represented a Trait that was unique between the two. Unity, Life, Fate, Hope, and the Rumored one: Doom. Basically with them around, or just believing in them for that matter, we could understand the relationships between neighboring civilizations, going so far as creating alliances with them, despite conflictions between our allies.

"You mean how Nature is allied with Fire and Light, but Fire and Light are natural enemies?" C.J. pointed out.

"Exactly; But other than that, the Avatars were just folk tales that we grew up on."

"But as we can see, that's not the case, far from it. We gotta come up with something, who knows what they have planned next."

Just as C.J. finished saying that, his Cellphone goes off. He reaches over to his desk and answered it.

"Hello? Are you sure? Yeah we'll be over ASAP." C.J. hung up and turned to them.

"Who was that?" Sarina asked.

"Jake, he needs us to get over to Central Park as soon as possible."

"Central Park?" Sarina looked at him with a confused look. "Why do we need to go over there."

"I don't know, but considering the situation we're in, it might be best to get over there now."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Tsume asked.

Sarina looked at the two of them and nodded. "OK then, let's go."

* * *

><p>Around the same time, Jamie rested on the balcony of the Dragon's den, watching the Hybrid Duelist go nuts down below. The last few hours have been met with excruciating guilt that she couldn't shake off. She was starting to question Drake's motives at this point.<p>

"Hey there puppy…" Dante walked up to her.

Jamie looked at him, but went back to the duels below. "What do you want?"

"Just curious is all." Dante joined her. "What the hell were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?"

Jamie glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I know what you did back there."

"I didn't do anything. I destroyed the Avatar of Fate, end of story." She got up and began to walk away.

Dante grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving. "Hold on, we're not finished talking."

Jamie noticed this giving him a deadly glare. "Let go…"

"Or what…? You can't _Spiral Gate_ yourself out of this situation…"

Jamie gasped in fear.

"Gotcha…" Dante smirked. "I watched you during Blaze Phoenix's attack…

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

Cruel Naga suddenly broke through the clouds unleashing an energy beam targeted specifically for Drake.

The other members of Team Zero instantly bounced back from the attack to avoid getting hit.

As the smoke cleared, Blaze Phoenix was shown, holding Cruel Naga at bay.

"Kill me huh? That's funny." Drake turned to her. "Jamie, Let the Avatar met her fate."

Jamie looked at Nikki, her tired eyes forcing whatever water was left in them as she looked back at Blaze Phoenix holding Naga's mouth wide open.

Jamie reached into her back pocket and pulled out a Spiral Gate card, sending Kaijudo Energy into it, hoping no one noticed it.

Blaze Phoenix opened its mouth and shot a spiral of flames at the Naga, making it disintegrate in front of them.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>"It was faint, but I saw the Evaporated Water mixed in with the Spiral of Flames. You made it that Blaze Phoenix forced Naga back into the creature world, rather than destroy her; Very clever indeed."<p>

"Then answer me this… Why did you tell Drake that Sarina and C.J. were killed?"

This peaked Dante's interest. "I said that they were dead; I never said _who_ finished them off. And with that question I answer it with this one: They're still alive aren't they?"

Jamie realized that she gave herself away. "What are you after?" she snarled.

Dante lets go of her and took a few steps back. "To make it all end."

"To make it… All end?" Jamie asked.

"This Game, the creature world… I want it all to end, to be gone for good." Dante clarified. "This game, that my Father brought back, nearly killed me two years ago. It's not surprising that I haven't seen him since then. All he cared about was this game; his obsession with the Kaijudo Arts completely shut me out from him. So I decided that enough was enough. The reason why I joined Drake was so that I could continue my quest to destroy the Creature world… Starting with the Avatars is the perfect stepping stone. And of course anyone who defies me of my goal will die along with it… That includes C.J.!"

"Why you…!" Jamie dashed for him and was ready to punch him off the balcony. Dante grabbed her arm before she could do that though.

"What's this…? You seem to be worried. Are you really going to stand up for the one who lied to you about everything these last few months; the one who's more than likely never going to forgive you for attacking his friends, for siding with his enemy; the one who _replaced you_?

"Shut up!" Jamie with her free hand was ready to beat him senseless, however she was stopped again by Riley.

"Riley…?" Jamie looked at the older teen.

"He's not worth it." She told her.

"Well look at that; the Dragon Slayer is saving the Pup." Dante lets go of her wrist and shakes his suit jacket straight. "Well this was a nice conversation, but I should be leaving now. After all, I have some hunting to do. Starting with the Soul Phoenix…"

"Why you…!" Jamie tried to break out of Riley's grip but she couldn't break loose.

"Calm yourself down!" Riley ordered.

"Let me go! Please, let me go…" Jamie dropped to her knees and cried. "God I'm so confused…"

"Don't worry about it…" Riley hugged the younger girl as she cried.

"I don't know what to do anymore, either way someone gets hurt in the end…" Jamie sobbed. "And now one of my best friends is going to die because of me…"

"Just relax, it's no one's fault." Riley told her softly. "Just calm down…"

Drake meanwhile watched from the security cameras upstairs in the dance area, intrigued by all of this, rather than upset.

"My poor Jamie…" Drake said to himself. "Soon all of the Avatars will be destroyed. Then finally you won't be confused any longer my dear. Because there will be no right or wrong: Just my decisions."

* * *

><p>Sarina and C.J. make it to the park, the Street lights skimming across them as they raced through the busy streets. They made it to the open area where the others trained earlier, finding Jake and Karon bandaged up from their trip to the hospital prior.<p>

"Where are the others?" C.J. asked.

"They're over there. What happened to you guys, we heard you were killed."

"Well we were going to be but…"

"That Jamie girl saved us before it could happen." Sarina interrupted C.J.

"Jamie saved you guys?" Jake asked surprised.

"Well, it makes sense now doesn't it?" Karon asked him.

"What do you mean?" C.J. asked as well. He looked over Karon's shoulder and saw Wyatt, Adrian and Dylan helping a bruised up Nikki walk towards him.

"It's…"

"NIKKI!" Sarina blitzed through them and tackled Nikki off her weakened feet.

"Oww! Jeez, Sarina, not so hard next time!" Nikki scolded.

"You're alive!" Sarina tightly gripped. "I'm so glad… My mom's alive."

Nikki realized that Sarina was crying again. "Yeah; My baby girl's alright as well…" Nikki wrapped her arms around her and tried to give a tight hug, despite the injuries.

"How is she…"

"Jamie." Karon replied. "She must've slipped something in the Phoenix's attack that forced Cruel Naga back into the creature world rather than kill it. And considering that she's a water duelist and the Pattern of the flames…"

"She used Spiral Gate in her attack? Is that possible?" C.J. asked.

"Well of course it is. You used Aura Blast that time we faced against Neo back in March remember?" Jake brought up.

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

"Tsume! Let's finish this off!" C.J threw two 'Aura Blast' spell cards into the air, causing a mysterious green pillar to shoot from the sky. Tsume was caught in the radiation as it's sword began to glow fiercely, the same emerald lightning developed around it as well as on C.J.'s Glove.

"TODOMEDA!" C.J. Shouted.

Neo Bolshack Dragon ignited his Claws as the two charged each other. The clash caused a midair explosion, which lit up the dark sky.

When the light cleared, Tsume dropped his sword which disintegrated before hitting the ground.

Neo turned back and laughed at them. "This isn't the last time you'll see me. I'll be back… and when I return… I'll be after your head!" Neo suddenly fell forward as it dispersed into red data.

Tsume turned to C.J., giving him a thumb up. C.J. returned it back as Tsume turned into green data.

**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>"Yeah, now that you mention it…" He thought again.<p>

"But why would she do that?" Dylan asked.

"You think she's feeling guilty?" Jake wondered. "After all, it is her nature to, that's why we didn't want to tell her about the Neo Incident at the tournament."

"Well whether or not she is feeling guilty, the fact still remains that Drake's plans are finally coming to its climax." Adrian brought up.

"Why what's happening?" Sarina asked, helping Nikki up.

"Drake's giving us one week to stop him. If not, he's gonna unleash a legion of creatures onto the city. To make matters worse, his Team's gonna be hunting us down one by one."

"Well that's just perfect." C.J. sighed.

Tsume materialized on C.J.'s shoulder. "I told you this is gonna be a Michael Bay movie with Trading Cards."

C.J. turned to him and smirked. "Wow, for once I don't wanna yell at you for that."

"Because you know it's true. So then Kid… Ready to save the world again…?"

C.J. nodded. "I'm up for it."

"I'm in." Jake nodded.

"Same here." Dylan added.

"And of course, I have to keep you guys out of trouble, so count me in as well." Karon added as well.

"Well then…" Adrian clapped his hands together. "That's settled. One more thing; Drake mentioned that if we defeat 3 of his duelist, then he'll reveal where is location is. It may be a trap but… It's our only lead. So keep your eyes peeled and be careful… If they find you, then they'll more than likely force you into a Do-or-Die Kaijudo Duel… so if you get involved: Don't Die!"

The group nods in complete agreement.

"OK then. Just to be safe, I also suggest that we cut almost all communications with each other, just to keep them fron finding the other understood.

Once again, they all nod.

"It's a big risk, but we can handle it." Jake nodded.

"After all, we defeated Neo Bolshack Dragon. This is no different." C.J. said confidently.

"I admire your enthusiasm." Adrian replied. "Just be safe; and good luck."

The group then goes their separate ways after that…

* * *

><p>The next Day, Jake lays on top of the roof of an apartment building near the center of the city. For some odd reason, whenever he needed to mediate on something, he always found height to be relaxing, making him feel closer to the sky; could be because he's a Light Duelist after all.<p>

"Alphadios; Or rather Tenshi…" Jake held the card up into the air, the card glimmering in the sunlight. "We did it my old friend. You finally achieved the power."

"Speaking of old friends, know where I can find C.J. and that Soul Phoenix Brat?"

Jake saw the shadow hovering over him as he looked up, seeing Dante and Ryukuma over him.

"Oh crap, already?" Jake said.

"Jake Wilson… I don't think we ever met. I'm C.J.'s old friend from Cali; the one who taught him Kaijudo Arts; Dante Roman… "Now then, I'll ask again: Where are they…?"

"Sorry, but I'm obligated to keep that information from you."

"Is that right…"

Dante jumped off of Ryukuma and looked to his left, seeing a lone K-Terminal sitting in the middle of the rooftop.

"They pick weird places to install these things don't they?" Dante noticed.

"So I'm assuming that you want to duel then?" Jake asked.

Dante smirked. "Kinda an understatement, isn't it?"

"You're right…" Jake clutched his fist, the white lightning going wild around it.

Dante held his hand in the air, Sparking Green and Black Lightning. "Kettou da…"

"Yoshi…" Jake accepted.

[END]


	15. The Emperor Descends

Chapter 15: The Emperor Descends

* * *

><p><em>[Florida Keys, 2013: 1 hour before the DCA Regional Tournament…]<em>

* * *

><p>"Your Ice tea sir…"<p>

"Thanks smith."

"Will you need anything else?"

"Can we go back to California?"

"I'm afraid not, Master Dante that would be going against your fathers orders."

"Right… In that case I'm fine for now."

"Alright then, just let me know if you need anything."

"I will thank you."

The suited butler took his leave, giving fifteen year old Dante some alone time. It's been two months since he was forced to move away from California, away from his new friends. Ever since his father made the business deal with Wizards of the Coast and revived the Duel Masters TCG internationally, he's jumped from city to city, barely able to make friends, let alone keep them. But back in LA the place where he stayed the longest… He made a lot of friends. And it was heartbreaking to leave them; especially his "little bro."

"C.J." Dante stared into the sky. "I wonder if you ever gave DM another shot. I would've loved to duel you the next time we met…"

* * *

><p>"There it is Capt. That's the ship that left port a half hour ago."<p>

The gray bearded man looked through the telescope and caught sight of Dante's yacht. He grinned evilly as a skeleton-like parrot materialized in a purple data stream. It had the attire of a pirate with white spirit-like energy streams pouring out of its open chest.

"That's it all right. That boy's gonna make a rich beyond our wildest dreams." The Captain replied.

"Well then…" the Parrot began to speak. "What are we waiting for?"

"Men… Let's get us a hostage."

The motorboat started up and the pirate crew shot down the waters to their destination.

* * *

><p>"Welcome one and all to the DCA's Annual Regional Tournament. I am Mitchell Roman, Founder and CEO of the Duel Clash Association. From all over the country, You duelist have proved yourselves, from just starting at the D-Rank, to slowly moving upwards to C-Rank. Bashing your way through the B-Ranks… and finally making it here, to prove to everyone here that you are truly A-Rank Duelist!"<p>

The crowd claps in approval as Dante sighed, having the tournament streamed to his Ipad.

"Nice show Dad. You go to great lengths for your multimillion dollar company but you don't bother to give a crap about your own son's feelings." He turns his iPad off and finishes his Ice tea.

"Hey smith, wanna duel?" Dante called.

After a few seconds of no answer, he tried again.

"Smith…?" Dante looked over, noticing a boat a few feet from theirs.

"What the…?" Dante asked himself. He suddenly heard screaming from the other side of the boat.

Dante didn't like the sound of it so he decided to get up and run to the front.

"Smith!" he called out. He made it to the front and to his horror, saw his butler on the deck bleeding profusely.

"Smith!" he ran over to his butler and flipped his body over, seeing the gunshot wound in his stomach.

"Hey, are you OK?" He frantically asked.

The weakened middle-aged man looked over and whispered. "Run…"

"Are you kidding? I can't leave you here, you need help!"

Smith tried to shake his head but it was getting harder by the second, as his muscles began to shut down.

"Run now…" he tried to say.

"Smith!" Dante screamed.

Smith forced his arm up as if pointing to something behind Dante. However, his arm was forced back by the gravity as his final moments ran out.

Dante turned around, horrified realizing that the group of pirates were standing behind him.

"Everyone's dead right?" The captain asked.

"Yes sir."

"And the supplies…?"

"Medical and Food supplies are checked."

"Alright then; Get the kid and let's get out of here."

"Yes sir!"

The group of pirates marched forward and grabbed Dante tying his arms together with rope.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Dante shouted.

The pirate Captain smirked and kicked him in his stomach, blowing the wind clean out of him.

"You know, if you weren't so rich, you'd make an excellent Pirate…" The captain laughed maniacally.

Those were the last words Dante heard for the next two hours…

* * *

><p>"Come on punk, wake up!" Dante was woken up by a sudden kick to his side that made him fly across a cold hard floor. He looked around realizing it was dark. He moved his arms, realizing his wrist were tied and so were his feet.<p>

The pirates pulled the chair he was tied to upward and yanked the bag from his head.

"You got a phone call." The pirate said close up to Dante's face.

"Your breath smells like crap." He snarled, earning him a punch in the face.

"Try saying something smart again you snot nosed punk!"

"Hold it!" The captain said as he entered the dark room.

Dante looked over as the older man walked towards him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Roman." The man said as a screen lowered from the ceiling.

"Dad…?" Dante wondered as it slowly lowered.

Mr. Roman's face appeared on the screen, not as a desperate father, but rather an extremely upset businessman.

"You have some nerve…" Mr. Roman snarled.

"Now, now Mr. Roman if I was you, I wouldn't be talking like-

"DO NOT! Interrupt me when I'm talking to my son!" Mr. Roman ordered.

"Nice to see you too Dad…" Dante replied calmly, holding any resent he had towards him.

"What the hell were you doing to get yourself into this mess?"

"You know honestly I'm surprised you care."

"You think I care?" Mr. Roman laughed hysterically. "Why would I care for someone so incompetent such as yourself…? I'll tell you what: I'll go back to hosting my tournament, and you can go see Smith in Hell. Sounds good?" Mr. Roman laughs hysterically again.

"Smith was more to a father to me than you EVER WERE!"

"Well you know what I always told you growing up: Trash belongs in the garbage with the other trash."

"Go to hell…" Dante snarled.

"You first…" Mr. Roman grinned evilly. "Just like Smith, you're replaceable…"

"You're really putting your business over your own son?" The pirate captain asked, starting to feel sympathy for Dante.

"What son? My son was killed in a boating accident…" Mr. Roman coldly replied. The monitor shut off afterward.

Dante was devastated and angered. "That…"

"So what do we do now captain…?" One of the crew members asked.

"I'll end it…" Dante said.

The captain sighed. "Do what you want, I'm going to bed."

"You heard the Captain, let's kill him!"

The other members agreed as their hands lit up between blue and purple as Creatures rose from the ground.

Dante glared at them, Green and Purple lightning sparking around him. "I'll end it ALL!"

The Kaijudo Energy emitted by Dante exploded, wiping out the creatures and knocking each of the crew members back, so much so that it made the Captain stop in his tracks.

He turned around realizing that his crew has all been knocked out cold.

"Amazing..." The captain clapped. "I think you deserve it."

The captain walked across the room towards a safe that had a complex lock on it.

"We found this after a raid we did about a year back. The place was full of Darkness duelist. This deck has so much evil that it's too dangerous for even me to tame. But…"

The Captain finished the complex code and opened the safe. He took the deck out and tossed it over. "Let me ask just one question."

Dante didn't reply, but that didn't stop him.

"Do you have the courage to ride with the devil?"

Dante smirked. "I've already been to hell once before…"

"I only ask, because after demonstrating that just now, I believe you have enough power to wield the title: Hell Rider. You may do what you want from here on."

"Do what I want huh?" Dante looked at the front of the deck, the card being Galumta.

"I'll start, by Crushing the DCA, and anyone who decides to stand in my way…"

* * *

><p><em>[DCA Regional Tournament, Orlando Florida]<em>

* * *

><p>"What a comeback!" Ballom Monarch not only summoned <em>His<em> Trump Card, but brought an end to Jake's Trump! This is truly the best display of White Knights and Reapers. These two Dueling Prodigies should be applauded for their skills at such a young age."

The crowd agreed 100% as the thousands of fans there both cheered the two Fourteen year olds for their mastery over their respected Civilizations.

Jake and Karon both looked at each other and smirked, both thinking the same thing.

Suddenly Mr. Roman walked up to the podium next to D-Max.

"Please turn your attention to our CEO, Mitchell Roman…"

"Once again, I thank you all for coming. However, I just recently received some disturbing news… I am truly heartbroken, to have learned that my only son was killed in a Boat Hijacking just an hour ago… I just want to inform you all that due to safety precautions that the final Match between Jake Wilson and Karon Davidson will be postponed for a later date. There's no telling if these hijackers will make their way here, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions. I hope you all understand."

Roman gave the mic back to D-Max and walked off the stage, the crowd of people speechless.

"Well… This is truly heartbreaking news for the DM world, a dueling Prodigy, taken out of this world too early… And it was the son of our CEO no less. We'll post on our website the rescheduling of the final match. Until then… Get home safe everyone…" D-Max told them.

_[Present time…]_

"Alphadios; Or rather Tenshi…" Jake held the card up into the air, the card glimmering in the sunlight. "We did it my old friend. You finally achieved the power."

"Speaking of old friends, know where I can find C.J. and that Soul Phoenix Brat?"

Jake saw the shadow hovering over him as he looked up, seeing Dante and Ryukuma over him.

"Oh crap, already?" Jake said.

"Jake Wilson… I don't think we ever met. I'm C.J.'s old friend from Cali; the one who taught him Kaijudo Arts; Dante Roman… "Now then, I'll ask again: Where are they…?"

"Sorry, but I'm obligated to keep that information from you."

"Is that right…"

Dante jumped off of Ryukuma and looked to his left, seeing a lone K-Terminal sitting in the middle of the rooftop.

"They pick weird places to install these things don't they?" Dante noticed.

"So I'm assuming that you want to duel then?" Jake asked.

Dante smirked. "Kinda an understatement, isn't it?"

"You're right…" Jake clutched his fist, the white lightning going wild around it.

Dante held his hand in the air, Sparking Green and Black Lightning. "Kettou da…"

"Yoshi…" Jake accepted.

The two walked over to the terminal as it unhinged itself and began to move apart.

"Something my father decided was necessary after he learned about the existence of the Creature world." Dante commented.

"Father…?" Jake asked. Then it hit him. "You're the Dante Roman who was killed in the boat accident two years ago?"

"Same one; only thing was though… I never died. That man disowned me…"

They stood at their respected sides as the glass-like shields materialized.

"DUEL START!" they both called out.

Jake started by setting light mana. "I end my turn."

Dante drew, setting Darkness mana. "I end."

Jake drew, setting a Light/Nature card in his mana zone, ending once again.

Dante drew again, setting Nature mana and ending.

Jake drew, setting Nature mana and tapping all 3. "I summon Sanfist, the Savage Vizier."

Sanfist materialized in a light orb as he hovered behind Jake.

"Light and Nature huh?" Dante noticed. "It's like Nature was caught in the crossfire of the Light and Darkness. He drew and set more nature mana. "I summon Bronze-arm tribe and add mana."

Bronze-arm tribe materialized and growled at Sanfist, but not before tossing a Mana crystal to Dante's side. Dante flipped the top card, it being faerie life, and he added it to his mana.

Jake drew and set mana. "I end."

Dante smirked and drew. "Sympathy: Awaken from the shadows of the Dark Forests: Galumta, Matchless Fear Lord!"

Dante set mana and tapped all five of them as his hand sparked violently. He set Galumta's card as it also began to spark. The sky started to turn dark as the Evil Dark lord descended, roaring a roar that could only be made by a dragon.

"That must be his trump card…" Jake observed. "His effect's nasty, better get rid of him while I have the chance."

"I end my turn."

Jake drew and set mana. "I summon Marsyas, Sun Elemental!"

A Gold robotic Shining Command materialized behind Jake as it readied it's sword for battle.

"With him, he can win all battles, so anything you throw at me will be wiped out."

"Is that right…?" Dante wondered. "Well then, let's see what I can throw at it to make it implode."

Dante drew his card and set it. "I summon Terror bear, the Counterattacking Puppet."

A small little white-eyed bear materialized into the battle zone. It blinked a few times examining its situation.

"That's it?" Jake asked.

"Of course not. I evolve it into: Shadow Jester, Puppet Master."

Dante tapped the remaining 3 mana and set the evo creature on top of his puppet. The small bear noticed the evo crystal forming overhead and grabbed onto it. Black smoke suddenly leaked from the doll as it covered him in a shroud of darkness. It reformed into a white-faced Court Jester-like creature with six arms, each holding puppet strings. The strings were connected to small little knights as they twitched with every movement their master made.

"Galumta, break his shields Ike!"

"Sanfist Block!"

Galumta drew it's Katana and charged to break the shield, but Sanfist shot in front of him and generated a shield to block it. Galumta chuckled, putting more force into his attack which in turn broke the shield and destroyed Sanfist. He jumped back and knelt down, waiting to be untapped.

"Bronze, Jester, break his shields!"

The two creatures nodded Bronze throwing his pitch fork and Jester sending it's army to destroy the shields.

The shot past Jake, causing him to take a step back. He looked, and was annoyed at what they were.

"Heaven's gate, and Syrius…" He told himself.

"Sorry that Galumta locks your shield triggers." Dante smirked. "But you know that I can't allow you to win.

"Figured as much." Jake rebounded and drew his next card. And set the mana. "I cast Natural snare on Galumta!"

Dante gasped. "You what?"

The vines suddenly sprouted from behind him and constricted Galumta so that it was turned to mana in no time.

"Marsyas, Attack Shadow Jester!"

Marsays flew over to the jester and slash it with it's blade. Jester laughed, not feeling a thing. But then it realized that it's army each crumbled to bits. Marsyas flew back as Jester also crumbled into bits, shocked from the attack.

"Not bad…" Dante commented. He drew and set mana. "I summon Pierr, Psycho Doll."

A small puppet dressed in a teal shirt, shorts, and a red blazer with matching hat appeared. It had a creepy smile that just spelt slayer.

"That's all I'm doing for now. Don't feel like ending it just yet, fun toying with you."

"I see." Jake drew and set mana. "I cast faerie life and gain an extra mana. Then, Soar through the skies: Alcadeias, lord of spirits!"

He set the card on top of Marsyas as it evolved into the Shining Command Warrior.

"And I end." Jake replied.

"Ah, so you summon your trump, to lock my spells all together… Interesting… Well then, I'm not going to let this go just yet."

Dante drew and set mana: "I summon Gamma, the Assassination puppet."

A small frog-like pupped materialized into the Battle zone.

"Bronze, Attack!"

Bronze nodded and like earlier speared the shield with his fork.

"Just what I needed…" Jake smirked. "Shield Trigger: Heaven's Gate! I summon my two Syrius from my hand!"

"You what!" Dante yelled as the area began to erupt.

The Celestial gate materialized behind Jake as the twin Syrius materialized out of them.

"We're not going to allow Drake to win. We're giving it everything we got to stop him. And if anyone gets in our way, we're finishing them off for good."

"Big talk." Dante said.

Jake drew his next card and set it. "I summon Bronze-arm tribe and he adds an extra mana to my Mana zone. And I end my turn."

"Why isn't he attacking…" Dante asked himself. Jake had a clear field advantage, and yet, nothing.

Dante drew and set his mana. "Dammit, nothing useful to take those out, Alcadeias is one hell of a killjoy. But still… what is he waiting for?"

"You end your turn?" Jake asked impatiently.

"Yeah, I do. You know you have to attack at some point."

Jake smirked and his hand sparked violently. "Don't worry. I intend to.

Jake drew his card and tapped his 10 mana. It finally clicked in Dante's mind what he was waiting for.

"there's no way that its…"

"Descend! Almighty Ruler of the Sky: Alphadios: Shining Emperor!"

Jake slammed the card on top of one of the Syrius as the sun broke out from the sky. The dark sky instantly cleared up as the sun shined directly on Syrius. The light broke the Battle Ship down into bits as a White Winged ball emerged like a Butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Alphadios shot his wings out signifying his arrival.

"Alphadios…? You actually had a god-like creature with you?" Dante asked terrified.

"What's this? The hell rider is afraid of a little sunlight?" Jake mocked. "Bronze Arm Tribe, attack his Bronze!"

"Crap!" Dante's eyesight shot down seeing Pierr automatically tap itself.

The Tiny pupped blocked the attack and gave out a tiny eerie laugh that corroded Bronze into data, with Pierr breaking into pieces from Bronze's attack.

"Syrius, Triple break his shields!"

Syrius locked on and blasted the shields to pieces, Terror Pit, Jenny, the Dismantling puppet and Mighty Shouter.

"Alcadeias, Double Break!"

Alcadeias aimed and shot a light beam from his hand, breaking even more, this time, Death chaser and…

"Ryukuma…" Dante's eyes began to tear. "I'm sorry…"

"Alphadios TODOMEDA!"

"That I couldn't live to your expectations…" Dante closed his eyes and accepted death with open arms.

Alphadios lined his arms into the hexagon pattern and unleashed his energy beam that decimated Dante's side of the building.

When the smoke cleared, Jake saw that the other side was destroyed, no sign of Dante's body.

Jake felt a sign of relief at that… Four more duelist until they can finally stop Drake…"

He dropped to his knees and laughed. "Tenshi… We did it."

Alphadios nodded. "I couldn't agree more." He, Alcadeias and Syrius faded out as Jake's hand began to stop sparking.

* * *

><p>Ryukuma watched from meters in the air, holding an unconscious Dante in his arms.<p>

"You did well Master Dante…" Ryukuma told him. "And you didn't disappoint me… You dueled well. Smith would've been proud. He chose a worthy successor to wield my power."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Shinji walked down the streets noticing that ambulances and fire trucks sped down the streets ahead.<p>

"Probably nothing." He shrugged his shoulders. He stopped short as he looked up.

"Well well, saved me the trouble of me finding you huh?" He asked Karon.

The Middle Eastern teen smirked. "Kettou Da…"

[END]


	16. The King Ascends

Jake drew his card and tapped his 10 mana. It finally clicked in Dante's mind what he was waiting for.

"there's no way that its…"

"Descend! Almighty Ruler of the Sky: Alphadios: Shining Emperor!"

Jake slammed the card on top of one of the Syrius as the sun broke out from the sky. The dark sky instantly cleared up as the sun shined directly on Syrius. The light broke the Battle Ship down into bits as a White Winged ball emerged like a Butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Alphadios shot his wings out signifying his arrival.

"Alphadios…? You actually had a god-like creature with you?" Dante asked terrified.

"What's this? The hell rider is afraid of a little sunlight?" Jake mocked. "Bronze Arm Tribe, attack his Bronze!"

"Crap!" Dante's eyesight shot down seeing Pierr automatically tap itself.

The Tiny pupped blocked the attack and gave out a tiny eerie laugh that corroded Bronze into data, with Pierr breaking into pieces from Bronze's attack.

"Syrius, Triple break his shields!"

Syrius locked on and blasted the shields to pieces, Terror Pit, Jenny, the Dismantling puppet and Mighty Shouter.

"Alcadeias, Double Break!"

Alcadeias aimed and shot a light beam from his hand, breaking even more, this time, Death chaser and…

"Ryukuma…" Dante's eyes began to tear. "I'm sorry…"

"Alphadios TODOMEDA!"

"That I couldn't live to your expectations…" Dante closed his eyes and accepted death with open arms.

Alphadios lined his arms into the hexagon pattern and unleashed his energy beam that decimated Dante's side of the building.

When the smoke cleared, Jake saw that the other side was destroyed, no sign of Dante's body.

Jake felt a sign of relief at that… Four more duelist until they can finally stop Drake…"

He dropped to his knees and laughed. "Tenshi… We did it."

Alphadios nodded. "I couldn't agree more." He, Alcadeias and Syrius faded out as Jake's hand began to stop sparking.

* * *

><p>Ryukuma watched from meters in the air, holding an unconscious Dante in his arms.<p>

"You did well Master Dante…" Ryukuma told him. "And you didn't disappoint me… You dueled well. Smith would've been proud. He chose a worthy successor to wield my power."

Elsewhere, Shinji walked down the streets noticing that ambulances and fire trucks sped down the streets ahead.

"Probably nothing…" He shrugged his shoulders. He stopped short as he looked up.

"Well well, saved me the trouble of me finding you huh?" He asked Karon.

The Middle Eastern teen smirked. "Kettou Da…"

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: The King Ascends<p>

* * *

><p>Shinji looked at Karon and turned around. "Not in the mood, how about later on?"<p>

Karon didn't expect that response. "Not in the mood?"

"Yeah, not in the mood…" Shinji turned his head. "This whole war stuff is pointless."

"You can't be serious…" Karon told him, kind of annoyed by this. "This is a war; you can't turn your back from a fight."

"Just did, didn't I?" Shinji started to walk off.

Karon sucked his teeth. "I should've expected this from a 'Hybrid Reject'."

That comment made Shinji stop. "A Hybrid Reject…?"

Karon smirked. "I hit a nerve didn't I?"

"True Hybrids are monsters… bloodthirsty creatures that seek nothing but destruction. That's behind me now." Shinji told him.

Suddenly a red data stream flowed out of his deck case and onto his shoulder, reforming into a Spear-Wielding dragon.

"Ultimate Dragon…" Karon stared impressed.

"As far as I'm concerned, Hybrids are trash duelist. So don't you dare associate me with them…"

"And if I don't?" Karon asked.

Shinji chuckled. "You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

"Guess you can say that…" Karon shrugged his shoulders.

Shinji shrugged his shoulders as well. "Well alright. Just answer this one question for me."

"What is it?" Karon asked, growing impatient.

"Why are you so desperate to duel me?" Shinji asked. "I never met you before yesterday and you're egging me on to duel you in this 'War'."

"Well that should be obvious. We're doing this to save Jamie's life, to save everyone's lives."

"Save everyone's lives…?" Shinji asked.

"But you're a Hybrid; the 'Legendary Genocide Dragon' of Tokyo. You probably don't know anything about saving lives do you…? You hybrids only know how to do one thing: Kill…"

Shinji went wide-eyed suddenly experiencing a painful memory of being a little kid in Tokyo.

* * *

><p><em>[Tokyo Japan: 2008]<em>

* * *

><p>"Mom, Dad, Tsukasa!" A young Shinji called out as his home burned down in Sapphire flames.<p>

Eleven year old Shinji dropped to his knees and watched in horror as his family burned in the house. He somehow made it out… But his parents and his baby brother were trapped inside. Shinji looked up into the sky and saw the Crimson and Blue armored dragon shooting the bright blue flames that the house eventually succumbed to.

"Bolmeteus… Titanium Dragon." Shinji slowly called it as the dragon roared in victory.

"Serves them right to call us monsters…"

Shinji turned around and saw the trio of Hybrid duelist and the leader of them. He wore a leather outfit with a red Mohawk, also having dark blue sunglasses and spikes covering his jacket.

"You're…" Shinji was terrified when he saw the leader.

"That's right… The Genocide Dragon." He snarled. "I don't know how you got out, but I'll make sure not to miss this time…"

"You…" Shinji stood up as his eyes busted into tears. "How could you…?"

"How could I?" The leader asked. He busted out laughing hysterically. "Because he disrespected me… You father called me an unfit duelist. A monster because I tamed the strongest Creature in the whole world: Bolmeteus Titanium Dragon. But if you don't believe me, he can tell you himself when you go see him…"

He snapped his fingers, which alerted his dragon. Bolmeteus aimed at Shinji and charged his cannon.

"Sayonara brat…" He laughed maniacally, scaring Shinji beyond repair.

Just as it was going to fire Bolmeteus suddenly stopped charging his cannon. It roared in pain as its back cannon exploded.

The Genocide Dragon noticed this and looked into the sky if anything was attacking it.

* * *

><p>"TARGET LOCKED…" a computerized voice said from high up in the sky.<p>

A young girl around ten years old played with the lollipop in her mouth while sitting on the Satellite-like creature as she charged it's cannon.

The little girl took the candy out of her mouth and pointed to the dragon a few miles away.

"Fire!" she said playfully.

"SLAYING COMMENCING…!" The Satellite unleashed its beam of charged energy that hit Bolmeteus Titanium Dragon head-on, causing the almighty Dragon to explode before his master's eyes.

* * *

><p>"What the hell was that?" he yelled in anger. "What did you do to my DRAGON!" he wrapped his hands around Shinji's neck and began to choke him.<p>

It was then they heard another dragon's roar.

"Go and see what it is now!" he ordered his two teammates.

His two teammates nodded and drew cards from their deck.

"I summon Aqua Patrol!" The biker chick-looking Hybrid said as a feminine Liquid humanoid materialized, wearing a red mask and wielding dual hand blasters."

"Arise, Dark Hydra, King of the Underworld." The muscular Hybrid called out as a Dark Lord wearing evil-looking armor materialized next to him.

The two creatures ran off, to search for the Dragon, but a blur shot past them and they both dropped and exploded, shocking the trio.

The Dragon roared again as they all looked up and saw it.

"Bom…Bazar?" Shinji's voice cracked from the pressure.

Bombazar roared again and aimed his cannon at the group.

"It's gonna fire at us!" the Genocide dragon exclaimed as he dropped Shinji on the ground and ran off with his companions.

Shinji watched as Bombazar continued to charge his cannon, not saying anything. He just closed his eyes and awaited the chance to see his family again…

* * *

><p><em>[Present time]<em>

* * *

><p>"You're right about that. The only thing that they desire is violence… But that's the duelist themselves. Some of them don't have that desire at all. But now I'm suddenly interested in dueling you now. I'll prove to you that not all Hybrids are monsters; I'll show you how they can change…"<p>

"Like the sound of that." Karon nodded.

The two then make their way to a nearby area where there are K-Terminals set up all over, as it's a public duelist area. But since it was early in the morning it was pretty empty.

They walked to the center machine as Shinji punched in a code, the K-Terminal responding by splitting and sliding back a few feet.

Karon and Shinji set their decks on their respected sides and drew their five cards.

"DUEL START!" they announced as the 10 shields materialized.

Shinji starts by setting A multicolored card in his mana. "I end."

Karon drew next and set water mana. "I summon Aqua Guard."

Aqua Guard jumped out of the nearby water fountain, landing behind Karon.

Shinji drew and set Fire mana next; "I cast Faerie life and gain an extra mana." He flipped the card, revealing to be Bronze-arm tribe. "I tap my extra Nature mana to Generate: Faerie Shovel."

The small little fairy materialized creating a mana crystal, which in turn generated into an arm-sized green shovel.

"Got green thumbs don't you?" Karon commented setting darkness mana after he drew. "I summon Melnia the Aqua Shadow."

Melnia slowly rose from the puddles that Aqua Guard left on the dry ground as she crossed her arms.

Shinji drew and set mana. "I summon Cocco Lupia and end my turn."

Cocco Lupia whistled its way into the area, cheery as normal.

"And so the Dragon swarm begins…" Karon sighed. "Better end this quick then." He drew and set mana. "I summon Deathblood, the Shadow Mask. Melnia, break his shields, Ike!"

Deathblood materialized drawing his red blade as Melnia sunk into the puddle under her. She re-appeared on Shinji's side and slashed the shield to bits.

The shards flew at him but he blocked them. He smirked as they froze midair, regenerating into a card in his hand.

"Shield Trigger: Natural Snare, I send Guard to mana." Shinji announced as Vines erupted under guard, crushing it into a mana crystal.

Karon moved guard to mana and ended his turn, not upset by the turn of events.

Shinji drew and set mana. "I summon Magmadragon Jagalzor."

Lupia played her flute which substituted for the two mana crystals, summoning a Snake-like dragon from the ground below.

"Cocco Lupia, break his shields ike!"

Cocco nodded and flew over breaking his shield successfully.

"Now Jagalzor's Turbo Rush takes effect giving my other creatures speed attacker. Double Break Ik-" Jagalzor suddenly snapped from under Shinji's hand. Shocked by that he looked over and saw the Shield trigger in Karon's hand.

"Shield trigger: Death Chaser destroys one of my opponent's untapped creatures. Looks like we're even…"

"Not bad…" Shinji commented. "I'll end for now then."

Karon drew and set mana. I Cast Eureka charger, which lets me draw one card from my deck.

The fountain which spitted out Aqua guard formed a hand from the water, which then threw a teal shaped rectangle, slightly smaller than a shield. It reformed into a card as Karon slid the Charger spell to his mana.

"After that, I'm generating Spiral Aura, and attacking Cocco Lupia with Deathblood."

Deathblood ran his fingers across his blade and charged the tiny bird, slashing it into a red stream.

"I end my turn." Karon said.

Shinji drew and set mana. "Well that plan completely backfired. I summon Bronze-arm tribe, which gives me an extra mana; Afterward I Generate Final Dragarmor, and cross Faerie Shovel onto Bronze.

Bronze-Arm Tribe materialized into the battle zone, this version being slimmer in appearance, wearing a black cape and wielding an orange blade. Bronze held his left arm into the air as the Shovel latched on, and the Dragon Armor materialized in the same spot as the shovel.

"I end my turn." Shinji said, unable to do anything else.

Karon drew and set mana. "I summon Gajirabute, Vile Centurion."

Gajirabute materialized in front of Shinji's shields, tapping one of his shields. The shield turned black and broke into pieces. Shinji took the destroyed shield and discarded it, revealing to be Hell Scrapper.

"I end my turn." Karon said.

Shinji drew and set mana, thinking of what to do next. At this point, he and Karon both had at least 7 mana, and by looking at the situation, Ballom should be coming soon if not the next turn. So if he decided to summon one of his dragons now, it'd be a waste.

"I end my turn." Shinji passed.

"Suit yourself." Karon said as he drew. He set his eighth mana and tapped all eight.

"Here it comes…" Shinji anticipated.

"I cast Eureka Charger and Generate Slayer Blade."

Shinji froze as Karon drew and set the Charger into mana.

"_He didn't summon Ballom? But why not…?" _Shinji thought to himself, the situation not making sense to him.

"I end my turn."

Shinji drew and set mana. "This isn't good… I don't have anything to counter… Crap…"

"You end?"

Shinji nodded. "I have a bad feeling that if I play anything you'll just counter it."

Karon nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "How so…?"

"Because… I can tell your deck revolves around Summoning and mana acceleration for Dragons. There are three factors that need to be considered: The Fire Birds, the Accelerators, and Finally the Shield Triggers. Natural Snare, hell Scrapper… I summoned Gajirabute to prove that to myself because I wasn't 100% sure. But seeing as he hit a Scrapper, and the fact that there's hardly any triggers in your mana zone, tells me that the last 3, at least two of them are triggers. You probably figured out the same for me, considering you hit a Death Chaser. The fact that I'm using Water also implies Aqua Surfer. And let's not forget the classic Terror Pit."

"You surprised me with the Chargers…"

"Well, I needed some way to make it to 10." Karon drew and set his final mana.

"Make it to ten…?"

Shinji watched as all 10 tapped.

"Wait… you weren't gonna summon Ballom were you!"

"Nope..." Karon smirked. He flipped the card over. "I got a new Trump card now. Ascend, Almighty Lord of Darkness: Dorballom, Shadow King!" he slammed the card on top of Gajirabute as the Shadow command laughed evilly. He floated up into the air as the area shook violently. Gajirabute developed a dark aura that made the form of Dorballom. He howled into the air as Gajirabute's body disintegrated and reformed into Dorballom.

"Say good bye to bronze and all of your mana."

Dorballom howled as Bronze cringed from the noise, fading out of existence. The ground erupted, mana crystals rising from the ground, 5 fire and 4 nature on Shinji's side, and 6 darkness and 4 water on Karon's side.

Dorballom held a pair of his hands out absorbing the crystals into a huge energy ball that he began to form, all but the six darkness ones that he allowed Karon to keep.

"Dorballom, Triple break!"

Dorballom howled and threw the ball of energy that incinerated the shields.

Shinji he flew back from the attack as the cards flew overhead.

"Hell Scrapper and Natural Snare. Screw it… I lost." Shinji told himself.

"Melnia, Todomeda!" Karon tapped it and Melnia ran flipping into the air and slashing through Shinji.

Shinji lays on the ground, coughing and bleeding from the cut Melnia made in his shirt.

"Good game…" Shinji laughed.

The creatures disappeared as Karon walked over, kneeling down.

"You were right… not all Hybrids are monsters…" Karon smirked.

Shinji smiled back, but passed out after that.

Karon stood up and started to walk away but stopped. "Ugh Karma's a real son of a…" he turned back and knelt down to get Shinji.

Karon suddenly jumped back after seeing an energy blast from the corner of his eye. He turned back and saw Riley and Ausezu landing.

"Poor Dragon got slayed." Riley shook her head. She wrapped his arm over her shoulder and got back on Ausezu.

"You guys did well, beating Dante and Shinji here. Keep in mind though that you still have me to deal with…" Riley told him. "Ace, let's get out of here."

Ausezu nodded and rose up and left the area.

* * *

><p>Hours passed and Shinji woke up, his chest burning.<p>

"Where am I?" Shinji rubbed his eyes and realized he's lying on someone's lap.

"How many times does that make that I saved your butt?" Riley asked the teen.

"Twice; don't get full of yourself. Jason helped the first time." Shinji tried to sit up.

* * *

><p><em>[Tokyo Japan, 2008]<em>

* * *

><p>Shinji, instead of feeling the heat of cannons, felt the cold sliminess of a Dragon's tongue.<p>

"Ugh that disgusting." He wiped his face off and realized that the Bombazar curled around him.

"Well, it seems it likes you."

Shinji looked up and saw a Bolmeteus Steel dragon descend onto the ground, and a Twelve year old Jason riding on its back.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked as he saw Natasha, Channeler of Suns descend afterward with the young Riley.

"The name's Jason Martin. And this is my partner, Riley Stewart. We're recruiting members for my DM Team."

"Duel Masters…? Are you guys Hybrids?" Shinji glared.

"Of course not…" Riley stepped in. "We're just normal duelist is all. We can just summon creatures like in the TV show; Cool huh?"

"Due to this, the two of us, are creating the strongest team in existence. The Kaijudo Monarchs… Bombazar seems to have taken a liking to you. Well, despite being banned and all."

Bombazar growled at Jason, but Bolmeteus growled back.

"Calm down Blaze." Jason pet his dragon. "So kid, you in?..."

"Got nothing to lose, do I?"

Jason smirked. "Glad to have you on board…?"

"Shinji… Shinji Inoue."

* * *

><p><em>[Present time]<em>

* * *

><p>"God what time is it?"<p>

"Almost 8pm."

"I've been sleep for 10 hours?" Shinji realized.

"You used a lot of Kaijudo Energy, and a freakin Dorballom blasted you nearly into a tree. Oh and Melnia played 'Zorro' with your shirt." She reached over and pulled up Shinji's ripped shirt.

"Great." He sighed. "So then, whatever happened to Hellboy?"

"I don't know. He's alive I know that much, but he never came back.

"And Jamie…?"

"She's still a worried mess. This is the last time I agree to babysit Jason's sister." Riley sighed. "There's only one duel left until they can go against Drake."

"So what are you planning?" Shinji asked.

"I'll duel with everything I got." Riley replied honestly. "Unlike you, who gave up easily…"

Shinji chuckled. "You gotta admit, those kids are something else. Surprised Jamie quit."

Riley smiled. "Well as long as we're here, she's our responsibility…"

"Yeah yeah… Just make sure Drake keeps his hands off her."

[END]


	17. Riley's Ace

Chapter 17: Riley's Ace

_[Tokyo Japan, 2011]_

Seven Fire and Nature mana tapped across the K-Terminal as the seven crystals formed into the shape of a Dragon. The dragon was a serpent-like creature with an armored torso, neon-green wings and red armored arms, the left arm covered in a Shield-like laser weapon while the right arm extended a sharp orange blade. The Dragon roared as it swarmed overhead, slashing down the opponent's creatures with ease.

The Young Dark Duelist was terrified at the huge dragon. His Avatar, Trox, General of Destruction was cut down so easily in front of him. As the Shadow command fell to the ground, Shinji smirked in pleasure.

"Bombazar, Dragon of Destiny: Double Break." He said calmly.

Bombazar roared, shattering the glass from the buildings as they rained from overhead. He shot across, slashing the two remaining shields that mixed with the broken shards.

"That's just unreal!" The teen said as he shook in fear. He was a well-known Kaijudo Duelist in Tokyo, he and his Trox… but this stranger… He didn't understand what level he was playing on. Was he an A-Rank; or an S-Rank even?"

"What's your rank?" He asked him.

The Bombazar wielder smirked and untapped his mana and his dragon.

"Hey wait a sec; it's not your turn!"

"Au Contraire my naïve victim… Bombazar Dragon of Destiny gives me an extra turn…" Shinji smiled. "And for the record… Ranks? Give me a break; Hybrids don't need a title to tell them how strong they are. Bombazar… Destroy him."

Bombazar roared and aimed his laser at the duelist as it charged.

"Todomeda…"

Bombazar took the shot and the area was engulfed in flames as the teen flew into the air hitting the ground hard, getting knocked unconscious.

Shinji collected his card and jumped onto his dragon.

"Let's go Geno…"

Police sirens and emergency vehicles dash down the streets as the mysterious duelist looks. Bombazar growls as the police workers aim their weapons at the dragon.

The duelist sighed. "Waste of time." He snapped his fingers as Bombazar unleashed a wave of green flames out of its mouth, causing explosions across the street. This of course makes the citizens run in terror.

"Come we've had enough fun here."

Bombazar cut the flames off and agreed, ascending into the air…

* * *

><p>Bombazar soared through the air, with the fourteen year old looking back at the lit area.<p>

"So long Tokyo…" He said turning ahead.

"TARGET LOCKED…" Shinji heard the mechanical voice ring in the air.

"Duck!" He shouted to Geno.

"Fire!"

Bombazar dove almost instantly as the beam just barely grazed them. Shinji held on tight as the gravity forced them down 80mph towards the earth.

"Just what was that?" He asked himself turning around.

"I might have an idea." Geno replied. He banked to the left and shot back up into the air. He held his laser into the sky and opened fire, moving his arm so the blast spread.

Shinji noticed the object moving ahead of the blast and got the irritating idea as to who would open fire on him like that.

"Riley that little…" Shinji grinded his teeth in anger;

"Hey there hotshot…" Riley waved back. "Where've you been, we were getting worried."

"We…?" Shinji repeated.

"She's talking about me too." Jason and Bolmeteus flew up into the atmosphere greeting them. "Don't tell me you were hunting Hybrids again…"

"Of course I… yes…" Shinji admitted.

"By the looks of it you a number to that intersection…" Riley lowered herself to them.

"That stupid idiot tried to pass himself as a DCA duelist. Wasn't gonna have that." Shinji replied. "I figured he'd have leads on the Hybrids who killed my family but…"

"Nothing huh…?" Jason assumed.

"No… just a punk looking for someone to beat down."

"I see… Well back to the matter at hand… What are we going to do with Geno here?"

"What about him?" Shinji questioned.

"Well he is banned after all. And until you make a deck with him out of it, you can't get your License." Riley told him.

"I don't need that stupid thing to tell me how strong I am." Shinji latched onto Geno.

"Oh grow up will you?" Riley told him.

"Says the 13 year old still wearing pigtails…" Shinji countered, flaring Riley's temper.

Jason sighed as the two broke into another argument, just knowing he'd have to break it up. Or on second thought, he'd just leave, they'll settle this one on the own.

He and Blaze flew off leaving the two to argue through Japan's night sky.

* * *

><p><em>[Present time]<em>

"NEXT STOP IS: 14th STREET UNION SQUARE." The train announced as it slowed down at the stop.

Riley woke up from the announcement and stretched. She stood up and got out of the train and ran upstairs. With her being the last out of the three duelists to duel, she had to keep her guard up. Dante was defeated by Jake, and Shinji lost to Karon, leaving her left. But she figured it was still early so she had time to kill.

She walked a few blocks down the street and found herself in front of TCG Towers.

"Card Shop huh? Sure I'll bite."

She walked in and saw the K-terminals and duelist scattered about, dueling one another. She turned, noticing Karon at the counter, feet up and scrolling through his iPad, not paying much attention.

"Probably wouldn't wanna duel anyway." She told herself as she saw an empty K-Terminal. She walked over and slid her glove on.

"Kettou da…"

Riley looked up and saw Dylan strapping his glove on and getting his deck ready. Dylan looked at her and smirked. "Been a while hasn't it?"

"Dylan!" she ran to the other side and hugged him. "How's my little brother doing?"

"Not bad." Dylan said. "Just been through some personal stuff lately with the team and all…"

"I heard about Jamie…" Riley commented.

"Yeah, that was a huge blow on us for sure." Dylan replied. "Oh well, what can you do?"

"Right… Yoshi."

"Huh?"

"I accept your challenge." Riley replied. "Come on, let's get started."

Dylan nodded and got on his side while Riley walked towards hers. She set their shields up and drew their five cards as the K-terminal generated the holographic shields.

* * *

><p>"DUEL START!"<p>

"Ladies first;" Dylan told her.

"If you insist…" Riley set Darkness mana and ended. "Let's see what you learned in two years…"

Dylan drew and set Water mana and ended. "Don't worry; I'm not the same kid who annoyed you growing up. I matured physically both in life and in dueling."

Riley cracked a tiny smile. "Good to know." She drew and set Nature mana. "I cast Faerie life and gain an extra mana. She flipped the top card and set the Light card on the table.

"Three Civilizations?" Dylan asked.

"Added Nature for the Mana Acceleration… I end my turn."

Dylan drew and set Light Mana.

"Two civilizations…?" Riley mimicked.

"Added Light for the chemistry. I was always a Brainiac." He replied. "I Generate: Quick Defense and end."

The Cross Gear materialized into the battle zone as Riley drew. She set mana and tapped all four.

"I summon Vile Mulder, Wing of the Void." She set the Shadow command as he materialized.

Dylan drew and set mana. " I summon Ardent Lunatron and end my turn."

"Cyber moon's too? Well, you were always a techie growing up." Riley said. "Cyber Commands was always you're forte no matter what."

"Geez… didn't realize I was such a nerd." Dylan remarked.

"Haha, I'm sorry." She laughed. She drew and set mana. "Sympathy: Slash through the Void between Light and Darkness: Ausezu, Celestial Shadow!"

She set Ausezu's card on the Terminal as Ausezu materialized next to Mulder.

"I end my turn there." Riley told him.

"Ausezu's a nasty one, Represents you quite nicely." Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Aqua Moon edge and end my turn."

Moon edge materialized next to Ardent as Riley drew her next card. She set it and tapped.

"I evolve Vile Mulder into Dark Master Gedora." She set the Evolution Creature onto Mulder as Mulder shot up into the air, to catch the deep purple Evo Crystal. Accepting its power caused it to turn into grotesque Purple Beast, six arms and bright red claws.

"Gedora's unaffected by any of your spells that would make it leave the Battle Zone. Ausezu: Double Break!"

Ausezu's blade began to glow a dark purple as he went in to slash the two shields.

"Ardent blocks!" Dylan replied as the Cyber Moon intercepted Ausezu's Sword strike.

"Gedora: Double Break!"

Gedora howled unleashing a dark aura that shattered the shields.

Dylan picked the shields up and flipped one of them over. "Gedora's not affected by Spells, but creatures are another story. Shield Trigger: Aqua Surfer, return Gedora."

Aqua Surfer materialized and washed Gedora away with its waves.

"Not bad…" Riley said.

Dylan drew and set mana. "I summon Voyager, the Paladin and end my turn."

A Gold armor-like creature with streams of rainbows radiating off his armor materialized into the Battle Zone.

"That's a new one." Riley commented, drawing her next card. She set Gedora to mana and tapped six.

"I summon two Pala Olesis, just in case you decide to attack me."

The twin Pala materializes next to Ausezu.

"And then for the last mana, I'll Generate Slayer Scythe."

And finally the last darkness mana reformed into a purple scythe with a reptilian-like head for the blade.

Dylan drew his card and set it. "That won't be a problem. I have an 'Ace' up my sleeve. With Neptune's Blade, and Poseidon's Armor, Dash through your enemies… I evolve Aqua Surfer into Crystal Zweilancer!"

Riley looked at him like he was crazy. "Um… Dylan, you only have 6 mana, not 8."

"Take a closer look…"

Riley looked at the K-Terminal realizing that The six crystals surrounded Voyager as he was creating two crystals of his own, which formed into the Evo Crystal needed.

"But how?" Riley looked up.

"Voyager makes all of my Evos cost 2 less, making Zweilancer cost 6, not 8. Sorry."

Surfer spun on his Surfboard, creating a typhoon as the Crystal dropped inside. The torrent cut out instantly, revealing the Gold Centaur.

"And it's unblockable. Destroy Ausezu, Lancer!"

Zweilancer drew its blade and shot across at lightning speed cutting through Ausezu without any effort.

Riley was shocked that her Ace was beaten by a Evo reducer's power. And yet, she was sort of proud.

"Nice tactic." She commended.

"I'll end my turn for now." Dylan confirmed.

Riley drew her card and set mana. "Don't get all high and mighty because you beat one of my Trumps. I always have an Ace up my sleeve. I summon: Marianna, Channeler of Suns."

A White robotic-like creature with a golden female-like statue in the center of it materialized into the Battle Zone.

"And I cross Slayer Scythe onto her, triggering her Accelerator ability."

The Scythe materialized in her hand as the dark energy turned it black and red as opposed to white and gold.

"I end my turn." Riley said.

"That's not good." Dylan drew and set mana. "In that case… Just to be a pain in the butt, I'll just cast two Sonic Wings, making both Voyager and Moonedge unblockable."

"You've got to be kidding me." Riley groaned.

"Zweihander, Triple Break!"

Zweihander charged and shattered the three shields, followed by moonedge and Voyager coming in for a landing.

The five shields shattered, all but two ending up triggers.

"Shield Trigger:" Riley grew an evil smile on her face, as if she was waiting for this moment. "Faerie life, I add one mana to my mana zone."

"I end my turn."

Riley drew, but didn't set mana due to faerie life already covering that for her. "I Attack Voyager with Marianna. Her Accelerator ability activates."

Riley picked her deck up and took a card from there. She shuffled and put the deck back.

"With her Accelerator, whenever she attacks, I search my deck for a Shield Trigger spell. I chose: Terror Pit, and I use it on Zweilancer!"

"Oh crap!"

Marianna used the Scythe to slash Voyager to bits. She spun around and held her hands out, summoning the Dark hands which crushed Zweilancer.

"And finally, My Pala attacks Moonedge, Ike!"

Pala curled up into a ball and rammed Moonedge, turning it into a defeated blue data stream.

"Now, you don't have any creatures left. And if you try something else, Marianna will just summon a Trigger to get rid of it.

Dylan snickered, realizing the situation. He looked at his hand, seeing the lone Tajimal sitting there. Tajimal can't attack players directly, let alone its summoning sickness. But there was one card that can help him win. All he needed…

Dylan drew the card.

Was a Miracle…

Dylan tapped the first three mana.

"I Summon Tajimal, the Aqua Vizier!"

Tajimal materialized, hovering off the ground.

"Ok… What'll that do?" Riley curiously asked.

"Help me win." He tapped the last four he needed. "I cast: Miracle Portal!"

Riley froze. "Miracle Portal?"

"Miracle Portal allows one of my creatures to become unblockable, and it lifts any restrictions concerning it being able to attack. So Tajimal's Unblockable, Has Speed Attacker, and can attack you without any problem."

Riley replayed the words in her head and nodded. "As expected from Team KG's Brainiac."

Dylan smirked. "You were a great teacher. Tajimal, Todomeda!"

Tajimal flew overhead and unleashed its power, winning Dylan the duel.

* * *

><p>"And that makes three…" Riley murmured to herself.<p>

"Good game." Dylan told her. "But… did you let me win?"

Riley looked up and nodded. "Sort of…"

Dylan laughed. "Man, you never took me seriously."

"Dylan…" Riley looked at him seriously. "That makes three…"

"That makes three…?" Dylan repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Drake's Three duelist have been defeated: The 'Hell Rider', Dante, was beaten by Jake. The 'Genocide Dragon, Shinji,' was defeated by Karon. And you… just now you defeated me, the 'Dragon Slayer'…"

Dylan realized what she was saying. "Then that means… That you're with Team Zero?"

Riley nodded. "It's a long story."

"So then that means that… But we didn't Kaijudo duel…"

"Doesn't matter, the fact is that you beat me…"

"But why did you side with him? Do you know what he's planning?"

"I do…"

"And you're OK with that?"

Riley shook her head. "I said it was a long story."

"I got time…" Dylan took a seat and crossed his arms. "The floor is yours."

"I can't tell you let."

"Why not…? Why can't you tell me that you're helping some corrupt bird take over the world? Huh? Can you at least tell me what's going on with Jamie, why she Saved Nikki back there? Or is that a long story too?"

"DYLAN! JUST SHUT UP FOR ONCE YOU DAMN BRAT!" Riley screamed at him.

The store got quiet as Riley calmed herself down.

"Sorry…" Dylan said. "I'm just worried…"

"Drake's moved to the Empire State Building."

"Why there?" Dylan raised his eyebrow.

"The Empire State building is somehow a mirror of the spot in the Kaijin no Sekai where his army rests. He gave you guys a week Time limit to throw you off while he finished preparing. He plans on opening a Rift between the two worlds using the "Jewels of the Avatars…"

"Jewels of the…Avatars?"

The Five forbidden artifacts that were locked in the creature world, never to be unlocked… Drake has gathered the Cards in this world, and he intends on using their power to rip open the barriers between them. These artifacts are so destructive that they go by one name: The Five Catastrophe Gears…"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Drake at the 102nd floor of the Building looks across the city, smirking at his naïve enemies.<p>

"Neo Wave Catastrophe… Tsunami Catastrophe… Grand Cross Catastrophe… Prominence Catastrophe… and Finally: Explosion Catastrophe. I tell ya, you five, were a real pain to obtain. But alas, after 6000 years of searching… It finally pays off. The Avatars dying, My little Amaterasu is awaiting her prey, and I have the power to make my revenge all so sweet.

* * *

><p>Jamie meanwhile at one of the lower floors sits on the K-terminal, her legs crossed and her hands sparking, one red and the other blue.<p>

"C.J…." She whispered to herself. Blaze Phoenix materialized behind her and screeched loudly as she looked up.

"I'm waiting for you… C.J." she said in dark tone in her voice.

[END]


	18. Unkempt Promises

Chapter 18: Unkempt Promises

"Drake's moved to the Empire State Building."

"Why there?" Dylan raised his eyebrow.

"The Empire State building is somehow a mirror of the spot in the Kaijin no Sekai where his army rests. He gave you guys a week Time limit to throw you off while he finished preparing. He plans on opening a Rift between the two worlds using the "Jewels of the Avatars…"

"Jewels of the Avatars…?"

The Five forbidden artifacts that were locked in the creature world, never to be unlocked… Drake has gathered the Cards in this world, and he intends on using their power to rip open the barriers between them. These artifacts are so destructive that they go by one name: The Five Catastrophe Gears…"

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, Drake at the 102nd floor of the Building looks across the city, smirking at his naïve enemies.<p>

"Neo Wave Catastrophe… Tsunami Catastrophe… Grand Cross Catastrophe… Prominence Catastrophe… and Finally: Explosion Catastrophe. I tell ya, you five, were a real pain to obtain. But alas, after 6000 years of searching… It finally pays off. The Avatars are dying, my little Amaterasu is awaiting her prey, and I have the power to make my revenge all so sweet. With that said, let's get this show on the road…"

He held up the Fire and Darkness Catastrophe gear as it began to glow.

The sky slowly turned black, catching the attention of the busy New Yorkers.

"Was there a news report about rain?" some people said as they looked on while others kept moving like normal, not paying attention to it.

Drake smirked and threw the card into the sky, shooting into the air just like a bullet.

"Detonate…" Drake snapped his fingers and the card exploded midair, catching everyone's attention.

"What was that?"

"Was that a Plane?"

"Is it terrorists?"

Various opinions shot across the area as Drake laughed at their confusion.

"Terrorist huh…? Something like that." He held up a Light/Water Card and a Water/Darkness card.

"Neo Wave Catastrophe, Tsunami catastrophe…" He casted the cards at his sides, as Neo Wave and Tsunami both shot towards the earth below. Neo Wave diverted, heading into the River while Tsunami stabbed the ground. The ground started to shake from the card's power as Neo Wave hovered over the water, glowing. The water around it began forming whirlpools that sprouted from the waters and ramming the surface of the area, it beginning to flood. The citizens began to scream and run in fright as the world around them began to come to an end.

"Prominence Catastrophe…" Drake looked up at where Explosion catastrophe detonated. It was small, but Dante could see the crack in the sky. He threw Prominence, knowing that the card had enough power to rip the dimension apart.

The Card made it to the crack as it stuck itself inside. The crack spread more, about a mile in diameter.

"Finally… Grand Cross Catastrophe…" Drake laid the card in front of his feet as the card glowed, generating a gold aura around the building.

"Everything's in place…" Drake said pleased. "Now to break that rift…" he held Death Phoenix in his hand, about to summon it, however he sensed something. He looked down and saw the Avatars and Team KG standing in front of the building.

"The Avatars…? They're alive?" Drake realized. "Guess I underestimated them…"

* * *

><p>"You guys remember the plan?" Adrian asked the group, to which they all nodded.<p>

C.J. turned to Sarina. "Ready to save your brother…?"

Sarina looked at CJ and held his hand. "I'm ready…"

"Sounds good to me…" Tsume materialized, crossing his arms. "The last 5 months have been leading up to this moment…"

C.J. nodded. He suddenly heard cracking sounds as he looked into the sky.

"What's going on…?" Jake asked.

"The sky…" Dylan replied. "It's cracking!"

Adrian realized what Drake must've done, in addition to why the area looked the way it did. "When did he get them?"

"Get what?" CJ asked.

"The Catastrophe Gears…" Sarina replied. Ancient relics, each holding the essence of one of the Five Avatars… They are cataclysmic weapons, easily able to create Armageddon…"

"And if the Sky's cracking is what I think it means… Then Armageddon's about to begin…" Adrian dreaded.

* * *

><p>"Vortex Evolution: Super Dragon Machine Galzark, Gigappi Ponto: Evolve into Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"<p>

The two cards both began to glow a respected color as they shot into the air, the energy beams spiraling upward into the crack in the sky.

After a midair explosion, which everyone shielded their selves from due to the magnitude of the blast; they looked up and saw… trees in the sky.

C.J. looked up and was both confused and surprised. "Is that…"

Sarina and the other Avatars were shocked to see what was shown in the black sky.

"The Kaijin no Sekai…" Adrian said.

Death Phoenix screeched, landing back on the top of the building as Drake laughed hysterically.

"We need to stop him now before this gets any worse!" Adrian told his team. The group nodded as they raced towards the building.

"What are these things?" The citizens screamed as they stopped. They looked up and saw Creatures dropping out of the sky, a combination of Zombie Dragons, Dragonoid, Chimeras and other various creatures from the Darkness and Fire Civilizations.

"Dammit, what'll we do?" Wyatt asked. We can't go after Drake and deal with the creatures too."

"We'll go…" Sarina spoke up. "C.J. and I;"

"Just you two…?" Wyatt turned. "Look, I know I pretend to care sometime, but seriously, that's way too dangerous you'll end up dead if you go alone."

"What other choice do we have?" Sarina asked.

"Why don't Karon and I go along with you? With Alphadios and Dorballom, we can probably beat Drake." Jake suggested.

"We need Alphadios and Dorballom out here, those two are strong enough to actually slow down the armies from arriving." C.J. replied. "Besides… This is something that we need to do. We're going to save both of them; Jamie and Drake."

"Save… Drake?" Adrian repeated. "Ok… you've been a stubborn kid from the day I met you but ARE YOU NUTS?"

"No actually I'm completely sane. I know my brother better than anyone of you. C.J's probably the only one that'll get through to him. He's the only one willing to actually go through the length of Saving him rather killing him, like you all have!"

Adrian cut himself off, after hearing her out.

"I've lost my father…" Sarina said. "And I already lost my brother once… Don't make me go through that again…please…"

"Sarina…" Adrian reached out to her.

Out of nowhere, a Giant orange-brown Shadow Command rose up from the ground wielding two axes with its 4 arms. It howled and brought its weapons down on the group, each noticing it at the last minute.

"Bolmeteus, Block!"

Bolmeteus Steel Dragon suddenly swooped in, grabbing Trox in its mouth, crushing it as it squirmed to its death.

"Was that…?" Karon looked up.

"Blaze!" C.J. recognized. "Jason, it's you!"

Jason smirked, holding onto Bolmeteus' armor and holding Bolmeteus and Quick Defense in his hand. "You can repay me by saving my sister C.J.! Go now before Drake can cause more destruction; I'll take care of things here!"

C.J. nodded. "You got it!"

"We'll stay back here." Jake decided. "Give Jason a hand."

"Are you sure?" C.J. asked.

The Avatars and KG nodded.

"You and Sarina… Go and finish this war." Adrian told him. "And before you go…"

"Yeah…?"

"Just don't die!" They all felt the need to harmonize.

C.J. smirked and held his hand up, sparking violently. "Let's go…"

Sarina nodded as the two bolted into the building.

"You think they'll be OK?" Nikki asked, drawing her card.

"I can only hope." Adrian drew his card.

"For now we just need faith that they'll pull through; they're our only hope." Wyatt added on.

"Vortex Evolution!" The trio called out as their Avatar creatures materialized and begun to go up against the army.

"Can't let them have the fun, now can we?" Dylan asked. "I summon Crystal Zweilancer!"

"I Summon Alphadios, Shining Emperor!"

"I Summon Dorballom, Shadow King!"

The three Creatures materialized and followed their respected Avatar Seniors into battle against the never ending legion…

* * *

><p>The two manage to get into the elevator, the entire building being vacant due to the commotion outside.<p>

"He's on the 102nd floor right?" C.J. asked.

"That's the highest point in the building, must be up there. How long do you think it'll take to get up there?"

"I don't know, few minutes? This Elevator's not exactly fast."

Sarina took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall she watched the counter go up. "15…16…17…"

"You OK?" C.J. asked her.

She nodded. "Just… Scared…."

C.J. agreed, having the same tightness in his stomach. In a few minutes he'd be going up against Drake, the fate of the world on his shoulders. Just thinking about that something like this is actually happening in real life… something that should be happening in the Anime… is going down in his home.

"She's really beautiful…" Sarina said. She looked at the counter again, making it to 50, halfway there.

"Who…?" C.J. turned.

"That Jamie girl; the one that you're in love with…"

C.J.'s face turned bright red. "Can't this wait until we actually win this fight?"

"I'm sorry…" she gave off a fake laugh to cover her choking voice. "I'm just jealous of her…"

"Jealous… Of what…?"

"She has your love…" Sarina admitted. "Something that I never had a chance at… Right?"

C.J. was speechless, not knowing what to say. "Sarina…I…"

She giggled. "What's wrong? Is this the first time someone's admitting that they love you?" she took a quick glance at the elevator, making it to the 65th floor.

"Sarina… I'm S-"

"No… I'm sorry." She blushed. "I just got caught up in the spur of the moment. It's just that I didn't feel right keeping it from you… especially if this is the last time we'll ever see each other…"

"Last time…" C.J. asked. "Sarina… We're going to see each other again. I'm not going to let Drake kill me. I will bring him back, I promise you…"

Sarina's eyes watered and she wiped them. She walked over and ran her finger across a random button.

"C.J., Please…" She kissed him, as the elevator came to a stop at the 90th floor.

She broke from the kiss and looked at him. "Don't keep a promise that you can't keep. You'll break a Girl's heart like that…"

She grabbed his arm and shoved him out of the elevator, he still being lost by the emotional moment. She spun around and hit the door close button when he got up.

"Sarina, don't do this! You're going to die!" he just missed the door; his final glimpse of her was her tearing eyes and a small smirk on her face. "SARINA…!"

* * *

><p>Sarina dropped to the floor. "Now I don't have any regrets…"<p>

She took her Soul Phoenix card from her deck case and stared at it. _"C.J… I love you… So much I can't bear to lose you too. This is why I'm doing this… Just consider this… My way of saving my brother…"_

* * *

><p>"SARINA!" C.J. kept banging on the door, calling out her name, until he dropped to his knees in tears.<p>

"C.J. We still have a chance to stop her… She's heading to the 102nd floor right?" there should be a stair case somewhere around here that can get us there." Tsume suggested.

C.J. looked at him and nodded. "OK, let's go!" C.J. got up and darted to the staircase, racing up the stairs floor by floor.

"Sarina, don't you dare die on me…" C.J. said out loud.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile on the 96th floor, Jamie watched from out the window Bolmeteus and the others doing battle with the creatures, each side being evenly matched.<p>

"Jason…" She said without any emotion.

"Come on, just a few more flights!"

Jamie's attention turned to the staircase where she could've sworn she heard Tsume's voice.

"Finally…" Jamie smirked, she took a card from her deck and charged it with her Kaijudo Energy.

* * *

><p>As C.J. ran past the door to the 96th floor, he turned to head up to 97. However Corile materialized and cut him off.<p>

"Move it!" C.J. shouted, but the Cyber Lord didn't budge, ready to pounce on C.J. if he resisted.

"If you want to get to Drake…" C.J. froze from hearing the voice behind him.

"You'll have to beat me first…"

C.J. turned and to his horror, saw Jamie standing behind him, ready to duel.

"Jamie…"

"Wrong… I am the Avatar of Eternity…" She glared at C.J. with a murderous intent. "Kettou Da…!"

C.J. looked back at Corile and snickered. "Guess I don't have a choice… Wait for me… Sarina…"

* * *

><p>Sarina finally made it to the top of the building, getting out and running up the last staircase to the roof, where Drake was. The whole ride up, she thought about what she did to C.J. admitting her love, and kicking him out of being the hero just for her to go on a suicide mission. If that wasn't the most cliché thing to do during the end of the world, nothing was.<p>

"Where's C.J.? I actually expected him to show up first." Drake said turning around.

"Change of plans… Stop what you're doing Drake."

Drake looked at her oddly. "What for…? I've gotten this far, what makes you think that I'm going to stop now?"

"Because… I'm going to make you stop; Even if it kills me."

"Now Sarina, you know I would never kill my baby sister."

"Who said anything about you killing me?"

"What are you…?"

"I came up here with the intention of dying. And I'll try even to my last breath… to take you with me. KETTOU DA!" Her Kaijudo energy exploded as Soul Phoenix Shot out from behind her and dove in to attack the resting Death phoenix. After a Brief scuffle in the sky, the Two Pheonixes looked on at each other and disappeared.

Drake, through Death Phoenix felt how much stronger Sarina has gotten and smirked. "Yoshi… I accept you're challenge…"

* * *

><p>"Shields up!" Jamie and C.J. harmonized as they stood across the split K-Terminal, both their hands sparking violently.<p>

"Jamie… I'm going to knock sense into you, here and now." C.J. set nature mana and tapped it.

"I Generate Emerald Claws!" He called out as they materialized behind him

Jamie drew and set fire mana. "I end."

C.J. drew and set fire mana next. "I Summon Gonta, the Warrior Savage and end my turn.

Gonta materialized in the room and roared announcing his arrival. The room shook from the commotion, both on the roof and outside the building.

Jamie drew and set water mana. I summon Emeral. She set a card face-down in her shields and picked the same one up. She then, to C.J.'s shock, threw the Chitta Peloru into the graveyard.

"Strike Back…" Jamie said as she flipped a card in her hand. "I Summon Dual Shock Dragon!"

"Strike back…?" C.J. repeated as the Dragon materialized into the Battle Zone.

The dragon was crimson red in color, sharp scales going all across his body. His claws both were armed with blades that extended out of his hands, and the inside of his wings were engraved with ancient Hieroglyphics native to the Creature World.

Jamie took a second shield and put into the grave, leaving her with only four left.

"That thing's… unreal…" C.J. said as he stared at the huge beast.

"Do you remember what you told me before C.J…?" Jamie asked.

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASHBACK]<strong>

"You attacked my friends; you're siding with our enemy… This is my business. Call off your creature; or I'll _force_ you to."

Jamie now felt a little freaked out. Was this the same C.J. that she knew for the last four months, the one who she taught how to play Duel Masters? The one risked his life to save her? The one who confessed his feelings to her?

"Would you…" Jamie bit her tongue.

C.J. hesitated.

"Would you really hurt the one you love?" Jamie said her face red and teary eyed.

C.J. looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. His eyes began to tear up as well. "If it means stopping Drake… if it means saving our world… _I'll Obliterate You!_"

Jamie's heart skipped a beat as the words traveled towards her. The creatures disappeared as the two of them dropped to the ground.

"I understand…" Jamie replied, tears dropping to the ground. "If that's the case… I'll make sure I destroy you first." Jamie told him.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"Better enjoy you final moments C.J. because you're going to die here and now…" Jamie coldly told him. "I end my turn."<p>

"We'll just see about that won't we?" C.J. drew his card. _"I'm gonna give it all I got. Everyone's depending on me to save our butts, save the world… And even if I die; As long as everyone makes it out alive…"_

"I will make sure I Win this Duel, My Turn…!" he looked at the card and smirked, his hand charging the card with Energy. "Ikuzo…!"

[END]


	19. Rise of the Terra Knight Part 1

Chapter 19: Rise of the Terra Knight Part 1

"Shields up!" Jamie and C.J. harmonized as they stood across the split K-Terminal, both their hands sparking violently.

"Jamie… I'm going to knock sense into you, here and now." C.J. set nature mana and tapped it.

"I Generate Emerald Claws!" He called out as they materialized behind him

Jamie drew and set fire mana. "I end."

C.J. drew and set fire mana next. "I Summon Gonta, the Warrior Savage and end my turn.

Gonta materialized in the room and roared announcing his arrival. The room shook from the commotion, both on the roof and outside the building.

Jamie drew and set water mana. I summon Emeral. She set a card face-down in her shields and picked the same one up. She then, to C.J.'s shock, threw the Chitta Peloru into the graveyard.

"Strike Back…" Jamie said as she flipped a card in her hand. "I Summon Dual Shock Dragon!"

"Strike back…?" C.J. repeated as the Dragon materialized into the Battle Zone.

The dragon was crimson red in color, sharp scales going all across his body. His claws both were armed with blades that extended out of his hands, and the inside of his wings were engraved with ancient Hieroglyphics native to the Creature World.

Jamie took a second shield and put into the grave, leaving her with only four left.

"That thing's… unreal…" C.J. said as he stared at the huge beast.

"Do you remember what you told me before C.J…?" Jamie asked.

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASHBACK]<strong>

"You attacked my friends; you're siding with our enemy… This is my business. Call off your creature; or I'll _force_ you to."

Jamie now felt a little freaked out. Was this the same C.J. that she knew for the last four months, the one who she taught how to play Duel Masters? The one risked his life to save her? The one who confessed his feelings to her?

"Would you…" Jamie bit her tongue.

C.J. hesitated.

"Would you really hurt the one you love?" Jamie said her face red and teary eyed.

C.J. looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. His eyes began to tear up as well. "If it means stopping Drake… if it means saving our world… _I'll Obliterate You!_"

Jamie's heart skipped a beat as the words traveled towards her. The creatures disappeared as the two of them dropped to the ground.

"I understand…" Jamie replied, tears dropping to the ground. "If that's the case… I'll make sure I destroy you first." Jamie told him.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"Better enjoy you final moments C.J. because you're going to die here and now…" Jamie coldly told him. "I end my turn."<p>

"We'll just see about that won't we?" C.J. drew his card. _"I'm gonna give it all I got. Everyone's depending on me to save our butts, save the world… And even if I die; As long as everyone makes it out alive…"_

"I will make sure I Win this Duel, My Turn…!" he looked at the card and smirked, his hand charging the card with Energy. "Ikuzo…! I summon Cocco Lupia!"

Cocco Lupia materialized into the Room, this move surprising Jamie.

"Dragons…?" She asked not expecting that move.

"I'm going all out in this duel." C.J. told her. "And for that to happen I need to give it everything I got. Gonta, Break her shields Ike!"

Gonta roared and jumped over, breaking the shield.

Jamie shielded herself and took the card. "Shield Trigger: Hell Scrapper, destroy Cocco Lupia and Gonta!"

C.J. looked behind as the machine dragged both his creatures towards it. They were crushed into bits and the explosion pushed him into the Terminal.

"Ow… Man if we keep dueling like that the whole building will collapse." C.J. looked as the area behind him smoked.

Jamie drew her card and set it. "I summon Cocco Lupia; Dual Shock, Double Break!"

Jamie's Lupia materialized as Dual shock blitzes CJ's shield, knocking him back from the impact.

The two cards materialized in his hand as he looked at them. "Karma's something isn't it? Shield Trigger: Hell's Scrapper, Emeral and Cocco to the grave!"

Jamie watched as her creatures were destroyed before her, her shielding herself from the explosion that ensured.

"Dammit…" She grunted.

C.J. smirked and drew his next card. "I add mana… And cast Vine Charger, Since Dual Shock's your only creature, you're forced to send him to your Mana Zone!"

Dual Shock roared as the vines broke through the floor, crushing it into a mana crystal.

"And I'll end it for now." C.J. finished as he added the charger to mana.

Jamie drew her card and set it, realizing that she and C.J. were on equal footing. "I summon Cocco Lupia and Chitta Peloru."

Cocco Lupia and Chitta Peloru materialized into the room, the duo flying around the ticked off Fire duelist.

C.J. drew his next card and set it. "I summon Bronze-Arm Tribe and add mana. Then, I summon Cocco Lupia and end my turn."

Jamie drew and set mana. "Arise from the Flames of Justice… Bolshack Dragon!"

Bolshack Dragon materialized as a Red Fireball that broke apart, the flames shooting across the room. The sprinklers went off on the ceiling, putting out the flames.

"Blaze…" C.J. looked up.

Blaze looked down at him, his expression cold, as if he was just as mad at C.J. as Jamie was.

"I end my turn." Jamie told him.

C.J. drew his card. "If you're going to summon your partner… then so am I! Roar, King of the Jungle! Fighter Dual Fang!"

Bronze roared as it evolved into Tsume. "Let's run wild!"

C.J. nodded in agreement. "Tsume, Double Break!"

Tsume roared and broke Jamie's two shields.

"Cocco Lupia, Break her last shield!"

Cocco Lupia flew over and shattered it Jamie's demeanor not changing.

"Next turn… We're finishing this…" C.J. said, determined. Tsume nodded in agreement.

Jamie couldn't help but smirk. "Shield Trigger: Aqua Surfer, return Cocco Lupia back to your hand…"

Aqua Surfer came and swept Lupia out of the battle zone."

"That's not good…" Tsume commented.

"Don't worry, we just need to get through this one turn…" C.J. replied.

"So naïve…" Jamie held a card in her hand that she charged with her Kaijudo Energy. "With the Fuel of the Blaze, and the Eternity of Flame, allow these two to become one…"

C.J.'s spine grew cold. "Oh crap…!"

"Vortex Evolution: Blaze Phoenix, Avatar of Eternity!" She slid Bolshack Dragon on top of Cocco Lupia and set the cards on top of each other, the Phoenix roaring with great strength.

"The Fire Bird represents the heart of the Phoenix, The burning passion of Battle resides there, eager to taste the fury of Fighting. The Armored Dragon represents the Body, its structure made for battle, perfectly complementing the Fire Bird. Blaze Phoenix… Obliterate C.J." Jamie said coldly.

Blaze Phoenix roared and charged C.J.

"A Direct attack…!" C.J. said.

"Like hell you will!" Tsume said jumping in front of it.

And then it was over…

C.J. was speechless… the crying roar of pain shot through his ears so fast that it scared his body into a frozen state for those five seconds.

Blood dripped onto the K-terminal as the cracked shield was one of the things that held Blaze Phoenix's blades from decapitating C.J.

"Hey kid…" Tsume turned to C.J. "Wipe that gloomy look off your face… It's not the end of the world…"

"Tsume…" C.J.'s face drew tears unconditionally as he dropped to his knees. "This isn't happening…"

Blaze Phoenix pulled it's blades out of Tsume's body as the Dual Fang dropped to its knees, continuing to bleed.

"Oh yeah… It's happening alright." Tsume smirked. "I'm a real life creature now… So when we're destroyed…"

C.J.'s eyes widened.

"We really do die…"

"No… You can't really mean that… Tsume…?"

Tsume's body started to fade away, staring at his legs and slowly going up.

"What's the matter? You- Tsume grunted from the pain. "You act like we're not going to see each other again…"

"But you're dying! You're not a hologram, like normal, you're… you really dying right before me… And no one comes back from the dead… It's a one way trip…"

"Seems that you're forgetting…" Tsume looked at him. "I'm a Cat. 8 lives left…"

At this point, his torso was practically faded away.

"You don't need me to finish this war… you've grown C.J. into a very strong Duelist… With that said… Save Jamie… Save Sarina… Save our worlds… Terra Knight…"

Tsume rested his head on the floor as his body finally faded out of the room.

C.J. was still mind blown by the sudden tragedy.

"No… Please… TSUME!" C.J. Screamed at the top of his lungs, everyone in the area hearing him.

* * *

><p>Jason looked at the building, the small explosions and lights flickering back and forth.<p>

"Jason, I can't sense Tsume's life force." Blaze told him.

Jason became surprised by that. "The King of the Creature World… Is dead?"

* * *

><p>C.J. cried, leaning against the K-Terminal. "First… Sarina… Now you Tsume… All the ones I care about are dying…"<p>

"I end my turn…" Jamie said. Those four words were just enough to make C.J. erupt in anger. His Kaijudo Energy exploded in a Green light, which slowly turned red, until both his hands began to glow; His Left Hand Green, and his Right, Red."

"You'll pay for this…" C.J. said. "I swear it…!"

C.J. swiped the top card of his deck, that very card sparking both Red and Green Lightning. "I cast Hell Scrapper, to destroy Chitta and Surfer!"

Jamie snickered as a second scrapper took out her creatures.

"Then, I summon Gonta, and cross Emeral Claws onto him."

"That's not going to save you." She drew and set mana. "I Summon Dual Shock Dragon. Blaze Phoenix, Destroy Gonta!"

Blaze obeyed his master's orders as Gonta was engulfed by the phoenix's flames.

"Not done yet!" C.J. drew. "I Summon Gonta, Cocco Lupia… And Gazarias Dragon."

Jamie was shocked. "Three creatures…?"

"There's no chance in hell you can kill all three of them in one shot… It's over Jamie…" C.J. told her as the Three Creatures materialized behind him.

Jamie looked shocked and stepped back. "No way…"

"Game over Jamie…"

Jamie dropped to her knees and dropped her cards. She looked outside and saw the others pushing back Drake's army.

The creatures disappeared as he flipped over his shields. Look at that… a Tornado flame." He couldn't help but laugh. Just like the first day we met…"

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASBACK]<strong>

"Barkwhip: Ike! Break her last shield." He tapped Barkwhip as he charged, jumping over Jamie's army and smashing the last shield with his hammer.

Jamie retrieved her last shield and bit her lip. The last shield was: Tornado Flame."

"Got lucky kid… Since I lost this, I'll show you my last shield." She flipped the card over revealing it to be Tornado Flame. This surprised the three others. Even they believed that was pure luck.

"Tornado Flame's a ST Spell with the ability to kill you opponent's creature with 4000 or less. If he never evolved his creatures, then one would've been destroyed before the final attack, guaranteeing Jamie the win." Dylan recited like he was prepared to give a speech on Shield Triggers.

"Maybe it was luck, or anticipation, or just plain skill."

Jamie's expression changed. "_Did he really anticipate my shield being Tornado Flame?" _She thought.

"But you're right, it was just pure luck. Fighter Dual Fang: Wrap it up, Todomeda!" He tapped Dual Fang as the hologram roared, Swinging his blade, sending a Green wave of energy to smash through her creatures and into her.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"Of course I have it now…"<p>

"I'm sorry…" Jamie said. "Tsume's dead… because of me…"

C.J. walked over to the distressed girl… and hugged her.

"C.J…?" Jamie said confused.

"Thank God you're OK…" C.J. said.

"But… Why…?" Jamie asked. "I sided with drake, I attacked you guys… Why are you showing me mercy for all the things I put you guys through?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A PART OF TEAM KG!" C.J. shouted, his hug getting tighter. "You… You're a part of this team no matter what… I don't give a damn… about what you did up until now… So what if you put us through all of these challenges these last five months… So what? We love you despite all of those things… he let go and stared her in the eyes. "I… Love you… And as long as you're in danger… I promise… to come save you… no matter the costs."

Jamie's face turned bright red as she dug her face into his shoulder, and cried her eyes out for the next few minutes.

"C.J…" Jamie spoke up. "Thank you…"

C.J. nodded. "Anytime…"

The building suddenly shook as they heard Sarina Scream from the rooftop.

"Sarina!" C.J. got up and ran, dragging Jamie along.

* * *

><p>Outside, the Avatars all diverted their attention to the building Adrian turning to them.<p>

"Let's go!" he commanded the group as they all flew upward.

As they got close, they smashed into the Gold barrier, not able to break it.

"What the…?" Dylan asked as Zweilancer tried to chip at the barrier to no avail.

"The barrier… its Grand Cross catastrophe…" Adrian confirmed. "We can't get in… and they can't get out."

"So that means we're forced to watch Sarina die in there?" Wyatt asked as he looked on.

* * *

><p>Sarina and Soul Phoenix struggled as they looked on Drake's side, barely a scratch on him and all five shields intact, while Sarina had none.<p>

"With the Black Flames of Death, and the Shadow of Destruction, Allow these two to become one… Galzark, Chitta: Vortex Evolve into Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"

The two Creatures united and evolved into Death Phoenix. The evil Avatar roared as Sarina finally got onto her feet. She looked outside and saw her friends out there, all of them seeing how badly injured she was. But all she did was smile.

"Death Phoenix…" Drake raised his fingers into the air as Sarina looked on.

"It's a shame… It looks like death doesn't want you." Sarina told her brother.

Drake shook his head. "He doesn't want me… He _is_ me… Todomeda…!"

Death Phoenix charged its black flames and shot them towards Sarina. Something told her to turn around. She did and saw something that made her feel at ease…

"C.J…" She whispered to herself.

Sarina's Body flew into the air and crashed hard against the roof floor as she bled from her landing. C.J. raced over in Mach speed to get to her.

"Sarina…!" He shook her to try and wake her up.

She cracked her eyes open and smiled. "You're alive…"

"Yeah of course I am you idiot!" C.J. yelled at her. "We agreed that I was going to duel Drake not you!"

Sarina smirked and turned her head. "Seems that I've been making a lot of stupid mistakes lately huh…? At least I don't have any more regrets…"

"Please, don't die too…" C.J. Pleaded. "I already lost Tsume; I'm not losing you too!"

"Don't worry about me…" Sarina smiled. "I'll always be with you…"

She, with the last of her strength, reached into her pocket and handed him her Soul Phoenix card.

"I'll always be there, to protect My Hero…" she closed her eyes as her arm slowly dropped to the ground, her dead hand letting go of Soul Phoenix.

"SARINNNNAAAA!" C.J. cried out loudly as everyone was shocked at the unfathomable moment that they just witnessed.

Drake crossed his arms and smirked. "And then there were four…"

"DRAKE!" C.J. turned, his hands sparking up both colors violently. "I'm going to end you HERE AND NOW!" C.J. grabbed his deck and slid Soul Phoenix into it, the deck sparking red and green lightning.

"Kettou Da!" He snarled.

"Yoshi…" Drake accepted. "It'll be nice to kill you as well."

Jamie ran over and took Sarina's body from C.J.'s feet as he stood at the damaged K-Terminal.

The 10 shields materialized as they drew their hands.

"DUEL… START!" They both called out.

[END]


	20. Rise of the Terra Knight Part 2

Final Chapter: Rise of the Terra Knight Part 2

Sarina and Soul Phoenix struggled as they looked on Drake's side, barely a scratch on him and all five shields intact, while Sarina had none.

"With the Black Flames of Death, and the Shadow of Destruction, Allow these two to become one… Galzark, Chitta: Vortex Evolve into Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"

The two Creatures united and evolved into Death Phoenix. The evil Avatar roared as Sarina finally got onto her feet. She looked outside and saw her friends out there, all of them seeing how badly injured she was. But all she did was smile.

"Death Phoenix…" Drake raised his fingers into the air as Sarina looked on.

"It's a shame… It looks like death doesn't want you." Sarina told her brother.

Drake shook his head. "He doesn't want me… He _is_ me… Todomeda…!"

Death Phoenix charged its black flames and shot them towards Sarina. Something told her to turn around. She did and saw something that made her feel at ease…

"C.J…" She whispered to herself.

Sarina's Body flew into the air and crashed hard against the roof floor as she bled from her landing. C.J. raced over in Mach speed to get to her.

"Sarina…!" He shook her to try and wake her up.

She cracked her eyes open and smiled. "You're alive…"

"Yeah of course I am you idiot!" C.J. yelled at her. "We agreed that I was going to duel Drake not you!"

Sarina smirked and turned her head. "Seems that I've been making a lot of stupid mistakes lately huh…? At least I don't have any more regrets…"

"Please, don't die too…" C.J. Pleaded. "I already lost Tsume; I'm not losing you too!"

"Don't worry about me…" Sarina smiled. "I'll always be with you…"

She, with the last of her strength, reached into her pocket and handed him her Soul Phoenix card.

"I'll always be there, to protect My Hero…" she closed her eyes as her arm slowly dropped to the ground, her dead hand letting go of Soul Phoenix.

"SARINNNNAAAA!" C.J. cried out loudly as everyone was shocked at the unfathomable moment that they just witnessed.

Drake crossed his arms and smirked. "And then there were four…"

"DRAKE!" C.J. turned, his hands sparking up both colors violently. "I'm going to end you HERE AND NOW!" C.J. grabbed his deck and slid Soul Phoenix into it, the deck sparking red and green lightning.

"Kettou Da!" He snarled.

"Yoshi…" Drake accepted. "It'll be nice to kill you as well."

Jamie ran over and took Sarina's body from C.J.'s feet as he stood at the damaged K-Terminal.

The 10 shields materialized as they drew their hands.

* * *

><p>"DUEL… START!" They both called out.<p>

C.J. set Nature mana and ended, while Drake followed, drawing and setting Darkness.

C.J. drew and set fire mana. "I summon Gonta, the Warrior Savage."

Gonta materialized and armed himself with his trusted blade.

Drake drew and set mana. "I summon Chitta Peloru and end my turn."

Chitta materialized and flapped its small wings behind Drake.

C.J. drew and set mana. "I summon Bronze-Arm Tribe and send the top card to mana." He did just so, revealing Astrocomet Dragon.

"Gonta, Break his shields ike!"

Gonta roared and jumped into the air, breaking the first shield.

"Shield Trigger X: Inferno Scissors. I cross them onto Chitta."

The cross Gear materialized on Chitta's shoulders. Drake drew and set mana.

"Generate Evolution: I Evolve my Inferno Scissors into Explosion Catastrophe."

"Generate… Evolution?"

Drake moved Chiita off the gear and set the evolution gear, putting Chitta back afterward.

"I end my turn."

* * *

><p>"He's using his Gear?" Wyatt noticed.<p>

"It seems that he's going all-out too." Jason replied. "C.J.'s gonna go through hell before this is over."

* * *

><p>C.J. drew and set mana. "I Summon Cocco Lupia and end my turn."<p>

Cocco Lupia materialized and sat behind C.J along with Bronze and Gonta.

Drake drew and set mana. "I'll be generous. I summon Necrodragon Zalva."

A Green zombie-fied Serpent materialized behind Drake. "When he's summoned my opponent draws a card."

C.J. nodded and drew.

"I end my turn." Drake said.

C.J. drew and set mana. "I Summon Gazarias Dragon and Terradragon Regarion!"

The Armored Dragon and Earth Dragon materialized behind C.J.

"And I end." C.J. replied.

* * *

><p>"Wow, two dragons at once, C.J.'s really into this." Nikki remarked.<p>

"Well considering what's happened…" Adrian looked over to Jamie and Sarina's lifeless body as she cradled her. "You can imagine what's going through his mind."

* * *

><p>Drake smirked and drew his next card. "You seem upset... Everything OK?"<p>

C.J. snickered. "Just do your move."

"Yeah yeah... I cast Volcano Charger and I destroy Cocco Lupia."

The Geyser spewed lava behind C.J., engulfing his small fire bird.

"And then, Zalva, Attack Gonta, Ike!"

Zalva let out a eerie roar as the serpent wrapped around Gonta and crushed him.

"Your turn." Drake smirked.

C.J. shook off his losses and drew. "If you're gonna use Chargers, then so am I; I cast Vine Charger!"

Drake slid Chitta into the mana zone without much of a decision.

"Then Regarion, attack Zalva, Bronze, break his shields!"

Regarion charged Zalva and burned it's zombie counterpart with green flames as Bronze slashed another shield to bits.

Drake chuckled. "Such a naive fool you are... Shield Trigger: Hell Scrapper, Send Gazarias to the Graveyard!"

The Shield Shards reformed into the Scrapper as it crushed Gazarias. C.J. didn't like those odds, but Drake smirked at the sight.

"If you're going to destroy creatures, then so am I." Drake mimicked. He drew and set mana. I Summon Super Dragon Machine Galzark.

The Purple Armored dragon roared as it materialized, black flames leaping from its mouth.

C.J. drew his next card. "I summon Terradragon Regarion and end my turn._" __"Can't risk hitting another shield trigger..."_

"That hesitation's going to get you killed." Drake drew. "I Summon Cocco Lupia, and Cross Explosion Catastrophe onto Galzark."

Cocco Lupia materialized and the Dark Armor of the cross Gear latched on to Galzark, making the zombie dragon look more monsterous in appearance.

"Galzark, Destroy Regarion!"

"C.J.'s in trouble…" Adrian noted. "That cross Gear on Galzark allows Drake to attack untapped creatures. And when it wins, any card that's the same as the one destroyed, no matter where it is, is sent to the bottom of the deck.

Galzark bit Regaron and furiously beat the Earth Dragon without mercy, finishing it with its black flames. The flames spreads to the other Regarion and it disappears as well. And his last one in mana popped into the air.

"That's... Insane!" C.J. said as he tried to put everything together.

Drake laughed hysterically. "You really had no idea what you were getting yourself into did you...? You have no idea what I'm capable of..."

C.J. smirked. "If that's you're attempt to scare me, its not working. My turn!" C.J. drew his next card and set it in mana. "I summon Gazarias Dragon and Kooc Pollon!"

The duo materialized and roared towards Galzark and Cocco Lupia.

"Interesting pair you got there." Drake commented. "But now however... It's about time I ended this. Drake drew his card and tapped 4 mana.

"With the Black Flames of Death, and the Shadow of Destruction, Allow these two to become one…"

"Here it comes…" C.J. readied himself.

"Vortex Evolution: Death Phoenix, Avatar of Doom!"

The two creatures behind him spun around each other as Death Phoenix rose, screeching its war cry of destruction into the dark sky.

Drake smirked, pleased with how things were going. "Death Phoenix... Double Break!"

Death Phoenix blew black Fire Balls at the shields, which fortunately saved C.J. and the people behind him.

C.J. was forced to send the two shields to the grave as he looked in awe at Death Phoenix.

"Scared yet?" Drake asked curiously.

C.J. didn't want to reply but truth was, he was terrified. Here he was standing between life and death as the City was on the brink of destruction. With Death Phoenix here, his chances of winning grew slimmer and slimmer each turn. And the worse part? His Partner wasn't there to support him.

"Tsume... I need you..." C.J. said to himself. "Please... Give me the strength to win this..."

C.J. took a deep breath and drew his next card. His eyes widened at what he drew. "Jamie... Thank you."

Drake looked on with confusion. "What's that supposed to-" Drake suddenly sensed something wrong, as if Death Phoenix... feared whatever was in C.J.'s hand.

"There's only one thing that would make me get this feeling..." Drake mentioned with a disgusted look. "How did you get your hands on it?"

"Scared yet?" C.J. smirked. "My turn…" he tapped five of his mana and slid Gazarias on top of Kooc Pollon.

"With the Fuel of the Blaze, and the Eternity of Flame, allow these two to become one…"

"It can't be…"

"Vortex Evolution: Blaze Phoenix, Avatar of Eternity!" He slammed the card as Kooc Pollon perched itself on Gazarias' shoulder. They flew into the air as the giant fire ball broke apart in crimson feathers. Blaze Phoenix roared, as the Phoenix joined its new master.

* * *

><p>"Is that…?" Jake stared.<p>

"Blaze phoenix!" Dylan exclaimed.

"But when did…" Karon looked over and saw Jamie smiling in approval. "That sly girl…"

Jamie turned to her friends and gave them a thumb up. "Hopefully this can count as some kind of redemption…"

* * *

><p>"Blaze Phoenix, Destroy Death Phoenix!"<p>

Blaze Phoenix and Death Phoenix shot into the air, as from the distance, the two looked like a red and purple fire ball tackling each other in the air, refusing to let up on the other. Blaze finally decided to stop toying, using its four blades to slice Death Phoenix into a pile of smoldering flames.

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

C.J. smirked. "That's one pain in the butt down…" C.J. dropped his two remaining cards into the grave.

"You…" Drake snarled. Drake suddenly dropped to one knee, feeling the effects of Death Phoenix's destruction. The excruciating pain didn't keep him down as his anger towards C.J. brought him right back up.

"I am going to obliterate you for this…" Drake said.

Drake drew his card, the Kaijudo Energy jumping off.

"I Generate: Bajula's Legacy and Summon Chitta Peloru." He said coldly as the helix materialized behind him with the Bird.

C.J. drew, not intimidated by his feat. "I need your strength… Super Dragon Machine Dolzark!"

Dolzark rose and roared, C.J. somehow comforted by his sudden appearance.

"Blaze Phoenix, Double Break!" C.J. Ordered as the Phoenix charged and shattered two more shields.

Drake shielded himself from the incoming shards but caught one of them. "Shield Trigger: Terror Pit! Destroy Blaze Phoenix!"

The Shards from the other shield stopped and reformed into the black hands, wasting the Phoenix without much effort.

"Now that Blaze Phoenix is destroyed, my Fire non-evolution Creatures return to my hand." C.J. smirked, collecting both his Gazarias, his Kooc Pollon, Gonta and Cocco Lupia.

"Nonetheless you're still going to die..." Drake commented drawing his card and setting mana. "I summon Necrodragon Giland." he set the card on the table, however his vision started to get fuzzy.

"What's wrong? You don't look good." C.J. commented, in a similar tone to how he did earlier.

"Shut up! I am going to destroy you, you insolent Cur!"

"No… I'm going to win this duel… And do you know why?"

"Entertain me…" Drake snarled.

"Because… All of my friends are supporting me. My Team… Team Vortex… Team Neo… All the people you hurt these past months… They're all supporting me, pushing me to my limit because they have faith that I can pull off a way to defeat you once and for all!"

His hand sparked violently, red and green Lightning as he ran his hand across the top of his deck. "… Final… turn!"

"Final Turn?" Jamie asked herself.

C.J. set mana and tapped 3. "I Summon Cocco Lupia!" he set the fire bird into the battle zone. "Sarina…" he glanced over to Dolzark. "Tsume…"

"With the Passion of Fire, and the Grace of Nature, Allow them to become Unified as one…"

"WHAT!" Drake shouted. "It Can't be!"

"Soul Phoenix… AVATAR OF UNITY!"

His hand skidded across the Terminal as Cocco and Dolzark united into the Second Phoenix, shocking everyone.

"Two… Phoenixes…!" Adrian was dumbfounded. "Who knew… he could pull that off?"

"It's not… possible… I refuse… To believe that I LOST!" Drake yelled in anger.

"Well Believe it! Bronze-Arm Tribe, Break the last shield!" Bronze nodded and slashed the shield to pieces, causing Drake to fly back from the impact.

Drake flew and hit the ground, bouncing and sliding. But for some reason, he laughed it off…

"What the…? He's laughing?" Wyatt noticed.

"Its ironic... To be killed by the one thing I once was..." Drake laughed, standing up, his body bruised and bloody around his head and arm. "After 6,500 years... the most powerful being of the Four Avatars... Couldn't do what a pathetic human could. But that's the beauty of Phoenixes... They are born from their own flames... So i may die now... But this isn't the last you'll see of me... So no matter how many times you destroy me… I'll _ALWAYS BE BACK!"_

C.J. looked at his words as a pathetic way of saying he'd return. "It's over, just give up…"

"Not a chance..." Drake smirked. I'll see you in Hell…"

"Soul Phoenix… TODOMEDA!"

Drake held his arms open and laughed hysterically as Soul Phoenix blew up the area across from them.

* * *

><p>Everyone shielded themselves from the blast, at this point the entire population of NYC has found out about this incident as news copters and authority all scrambled into the area.<p>

C.J. looked as all that remain was a flaming K-Terminal and Death Phoenix's card burning in the flame.

"It's finally over…" C.J. said. He fell back and breathed heavily. "Thank God it's over…"

He held Blaze Phoenix and Soul phoenix in his hands. "Jamie, Sarina… Thanks a ton."

The Barrier from Grand Cross cut out as they jumped off their creatures and raced over to them.

Jamie picked Sarina up and Adrian helped C.J. onto his feet.

"You did it…" Adrian commended. "Tsume would've been proud."

"Oh trust me, I am." Tsume's voice came out of the Deck case shocking everyone.

A red and green data stream materialized out of his deck case and Dolzark appeared. "Long time, no see kid…"

"T-Tsume…?" C.J. asked.

"The one and only…" He nodded.

"But how…? Why are you…?"

"A Dolzark?" he assumed. "Maybe you should ask your wife."

C.J. got the annoyed expression on his face. "Yeah it's you alright." C.J. turned to Sarina, getting emotional again.

"Do you remember Soul Phoenix's ability?" Adrian mentioned.

"When it leaves the Battle Zone, the creatures it evolved from return to normal. But I don't see how that applies to this situation. I mean… Sarina's dead."

"Sarina's the Avatar of Unity dummy." Tsume told him. When her Soul phoenix was destroyed, she turned back into Cocco Lupia. The other creature she used in the vortex evolution, was Dolzark."

"But that still doesn't explain why you- Wait she turned into Cocco Lupia…?" it then hit C.J…

* * *

><p><strong>[FLASHBACK]<strong>

"Your Training… is complete." Sarina smiled. "Cocco Lupia Todomeda!"

Cocco Chirped and shot towards C.J. to end it. He shielded himself, but… Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes noticing Cocco Lupia staring him down.

Cocco Lupia went to poke him in the fore head, but C.J. moved to the side. It tried again, but once again, C.J. moved.

"I'm not letting you put a hole in my head." He told it.

"Well if you hold still maybe it won't hurt you crybaby!" Cocco Lupia snapped.

C.J. was about to answer back but noticed two things. For one thing, Cocco Lupia Talked. And the second was the fact that her voice was nearly identical to Sarina's.

**[END FLASHBACK]**

* * *

><p>"Our Human forms and our Creature forms are linked to each other." Wyatt explained. "So if the creature gets hurt, we get the full effect. In Sarina's case, since she splits apart when her creature form leaves, her body reverted to Cocco Lupia."<p>

"Well that makes sense and all but I still don't get why Tsume's a Dolzark."

"Because she's the Soul Phoenix; The Avatar of Unity… As such she can create and destroy anything that's in her jurisdiction. In this case, she recreated Fighter Dual Fang, I.E. Tsume, into Dolzark, using her Dragon traits and parts of her Fire Civilization half."

"Is that… Never mind. You'd just make a sarcastic remark and say "Of course it's possible."

"See you already know." The dragon crossed his arms and nodded.

"Tsume, stop picking on him, I didn't save you so you can do that!"

"Who was that…?" C.J. asked.

"Um… No one in particular." Tsume backed up.

"Tsume…? You're hiding something aren't you?" C.J. glared.

"What? No of course I'm… Aw crap."

A Red data stream generated from C.J.'s deck case as a Cocco Lupia materialized from it.

"Hey, maggot…!" The bird chirped.

"Sarina…?" C.J. realized.

"No silly that's my human name, give me a new name like you did Tsume." She replied.

"A… new name?"

"Well yeah, after all we're partners now. And I'll always be here to protect my Hero."

C.J. blushed as the others chuckled quietly from the comment.

"Yeah… apparently you have a new Deck Avatar." Tsume said not pleased.

"Oh don't be like that. You should thank me, after all I did save your life you know."

"You said it yourself, Cats have 9 lives."

"Well now you have 7 left considering this is your second."

Tsume and Sarina went back and forth with each other as C.J. rubbed his temples in frustration.

"How about Flare…?" Jason spoke up.

"Flare?"

Jason nodded; "A small flame. After all, Cocco Lupia is a small bird compared to a phoenix. The name fits perfectly."

The Cocco Lupia thought for a second. "Flare… I like it."

"Then it's settled. Tsume and Flare…" C.J. nodded with his two companions.

"Jason!" Riley's voice was heard from a distance as they saw both the duo and Team Neo making their ways to the roof.

"The rest of the creatures have either been wiped out or sent back to the Kaijin no Sekai." Shinji confirmed.

"That's great." Jason commended. "Things over here are done as well. Mission accomplished."

"Um… Jason?" Jake walked over. "They're a part of team Zero and yet…"

"They _were_ a part of Team Zero." He corrected. "I sent them as spies."

"Spies…?" Jamie looked on in confusion. Jamie took a closer look at Riley, now recognizing her. "Aren't you that girl who lived down the street from us?" Jamie asked.

Riley nodded. "Surprised you just recognized me. Riley Stewart. I was Dylan's DM coach back when he first started playing."

"And you too Shinji?" Jamie turned.

"Actually I spent most of my time Hybrid Hunting." Shinji shrugged his shoulders. That's what we S-Ranks do."

"You guys are S-Ranks?" Jake said surprised.

"Yup, including Dante… Who, disappeared off the face of the earth." Shinji noted.

"As S-Ranks we have the responsibility to maintain any abnormalities concerning the Kaijudo Dueling World. In a nutshell, we're agents working for the DCA." Riley added.

"Who would've known?" C.J. said. "Is that why S-Ranks are so scarce?"

Jason nodded. "Only the best of the best can become S-Ranks, True Kaijudo Masters. Drake's been on out hit list for over six months ever since he showed up here. We were hoping that the city wouldn't come to this but…

"Hey, at least he's defeated." C.J. reassured. "But there's one thing I'm worried about."

What's that?" Jamie asked.

"How are we going to explain all of this?" C.J. pointed to the media and people taking pictures of them from below.

"Don't worry, he should be arriving in: 3…2…1…" Shinji counted down as another copter swooped in and landed on the roof with them. On the side of it, the DCA Logo was stamped on it as Mr. Roman walked out in his black and red Suit.

Shinji, Riley and Jason Saluted to him as he nodded; He walked towards C.J. and stared coldly.

"Are you the one who defeated the Death Phoenix?"

C.J. gulped and nodded. "It's… nice to see you again. Mr. Roman."

Mr. Roman's cold demeanor warmed up as he patted C.J. "You did well son; truly skills of an S-Rank."

"Um… Thank you, sir?"

"Anytime. Now then, I wanted to ask you something…"

"What's that?"

"How would you… Like to be promoted directly to S-Class…?"

The duelist around him looked at C.J. hoping that he'd take the offer.

C.J. smirked. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I still have a lot to learn."

Roman chuckled. "Very well then…"

The four other members glared C.J. hard.

"However…your skills proved very trustworthy today. I'll keep your team in mind, just in case The Kaijudo Monarchs need back up."

"Kaijudo Monarchs…?" C.J. turned to Jason and the others who nodded. "Surprised?" He asked him.

C.J. shook his head. "Actually it's pretty cool to know that."

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I need to deal with the Press." Mr. Roman cleared his throat. "You kids can go home now."

The copters lowered as the news reporters surrounded him.

"So then…" Adrian turned. "This is what you want, Sarina- I mean… Flare?"

She nodded. "I'll stay with C.J. and Tsume. After all, I am the Soul Phoenix."

"Very well…" Adrian nodded. "It was a real pleasure working with you all."

"Likewise." Jake replied. "But… What are you going to do now?"

"We still need to clean up, get things back in order. Take these little items, and locked them away before something else happens." Wyatt said as he held the five cards in his hand.

Nikki walked over and took Sarina's body. "We'll give her a proper burial…"

"Thanks…" Flare replied.

"Until we meet again." Karon told them.

They nodded and their creatures materialized. "Be safe." Nikki told them.

"We'll be watching you guys from our world. And we'll send help if you guys need it." Adrian said.

"But chances are we won't; you guys will be fine on your own I'm sure." Wyatt smirked.

"We'll keep it in mind." Dylan replied.

"I'm gonna miss you squirt." Flare told Wyatt.

"Don't do that…" Wyatt replied, his eyes watering. "You're gonna make me cry, and people my age don't cry…"

"Ha-ha, so much for being a big man." Flare teased.

"Come on, we got a world to fix." Adrian hopped onto Aura Pegasus and started to fly upward, followed by Nikki and Wyatt following with Cruel Naga and Wise Starnoid.

They entered the crack still in the sky and shut it behind them, the sky turning back to its natural blue color. The sun started to shine bright as the group waved.

"Now there's just one thing still on my mind…" C.J. thought.

"What's that?" Tsume decided to ask.

"Why did you call me the Terra Knight?"

"Oh that's simple. Because you're a Nature Duelist, and for some odd reason you fall in love with Princesses, Two prime examples: Lady Amaterasu and SP Princess."

The others looked at him and thought about it.

"Wow, he does have a point." Dylan said. "We did risk our necks because you wanted to help Jamie."

"And even now, you've been so close to Sarina we could only assume something was going on between the two of you."

"You know what…" C.J. started to say. "Yeah I got nothing. At least I finally have a nickname like the rest of you guys. Only took half a year to get it."

"Well don't feel too bad, you earned it. After all, You saved us all…" Tsume reassured.

C.J. turned to him and smirked. "Guess I did, didn't I?"

"Knights always save the day in the end."

* * *

><p><em>And so… Word got out about what happened that day. The DCA covering the story as much as possible, but the people who were there really knew what happened. After two months of living with the memory that I was a hero, made me feel glad to say that it's all over. In the end, I still have Tsume and Flare by my side. Jamie's safe and sound, finally back with KG where she belongs… And now the NY State Showdown is 6 hours away...<em>

* * *

><p>A car horn beeped outside C.J.'s house, as his mother called him, telling him that the others were outside.<p>

"I'm coming!" he replied. He threw on his jacket, grabbed his green baseball cap and threw on his bag. His deck strapped on his arm, Updated for the special occasion.

"Ready…?" he looked down.

"As we'll ever be..." Tsume replied. "Let's run wild in the competition."

C.J. nodded. "B-Rank, here we come." He ran out the room to go meet up with the others so they could get going upstate.

* * *

><p>"<em>So yeah, we're taking a break from School to participate in the tournament. What? Who do you think is driving us up there?"<em>

* * *

><p>"Sorry for being late Coach Madison." C.J. hopped onto the bus full of duelist part of the School's new Dueling club.<p>

The young basketball/ DM Coach shook her head. "Don't worry about it, we'll make it on time."

"That's good." He said relieved. He walked towards the back of the bus seeing Jamie and the others waiting for him.

"What were you doing? We said be ready by 6:30am." Jake yawned.

"Sorry, writing in my journal." He replied. He sat next to Jamie, who smiled.

"Good morning." She said softly.

Dylan and Karon examined, Jamie's new femininity. "Wow, C.J. you broke Jamie, she's turning all girly now." Dylan remarked.

"Kinda saw this coming to be honest." Karon nodded.

Jamie glared at the two of them, making Dylan shoot back in his seat. Karon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know that look." He took his seat as well.

Jamie turned and yawned, leaning her head on C.J.'s shoulder and closing her eyes.

C.J. turned bright red. "Um… Jamie?"

"Yeah…?" She said, getting comfortable.

"You're leaning against my arm…"

"I know… Wake me up when we get there…" she smiled slightly.

C.J. looked at his deck case, seeing Tsume and Flare on his other shoulder.

"Don't say anything…" He glared at the robotic dragon.

"I can't say anything… Flare will kill me if I try." He pointed to the Cocco Lupia who just smiled along.

"Atta Birdy…" C.J. smirked.

"No Prob. Now then, continue to cuddle with your future Girlfriend."

C.J. looked at Flare like she was insane. "Oh god; not you too…"

"See ya." The duo disappeared into the deck case with C.J. sighing. "And I thought Tsume was the only headache."

Jamie giggled slightly. She took C.J.'s hand and held it. "I'm ok with it if you are…" she whispered to C.J.

C.J. turned red again, if not redder than before. He then found himself smiling. "I'm ok with it…"

* * *

><p>"<em>What can I say? It took about 8 months…and a villain to nearly destroy my new home but… It paid off in the end right? I got my princess… and she got her Knight… To think a Card Game could do all of this… Duel Masters…"<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>[THE END]<em>**


End file.
